A Fulfilling Nightmare
by WhizkidHV
Summary: Self-inserts. Love them. Hate'em. Reactions tend to be kinda mixed. Yeah... I definitely didn't think I'd ever write one. Turns out I didn't need to though. No, I just freakin' had to go and live one. And not just any old self insert story, but one where the world itself seems to be against me and the plot's completely derailed. Damned FE Awakening... (Further explanation on cpt 1)
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: A self-insert fic I'm writing for fun. Likely ridiculous and probably heavily clichéd at many points.

This is intentional.

Try not to take things too seriously and enjoy.

* * *

Prologue: Wait, what the-

* * *

_Where am I?_

That was the first question on my mind when I opened my eyes.

_And why am I dressed like a cosplayer?_

That was my second.

I got to my feet and looked around. Surrounding me was a field of grass, stretching as far as the eye could see. Behind me, a vast ocean that glittered beneath the sunlight. Before me, a town in the distance as well as a trodden path.

It was a familiar sight. Strange, considering the fact that I'd never been anywhere like this in my life.

After a moment and realizing that I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Well, this isn't how I imagined waking up on a Saturday morning..."

I was pretty sure I went to sleep in my bed like I usually did. I definitely didn't plan to wake up dressed like I was.

Instead of the usual t-shirt and jeans outfit, I was wearing a white silk shirt, tan breeches, leather boots, and a heavy emerald travelling cloak.

That was strange in and of itself, considering I didn't have anything close to my current attire in my closet.

The most unexpected part about my outfit, however, was the fact that I had a sword strapped to my waist. A sword that, when I pulled it out and tested its edge, was most certainly not a replica or shoddy knock-off like they sold at conventions but rather a genuine balanced piece of steel (figuratively speaking, considering that the blade looked more like a gold alloy than plain steel) with a decorative crimson guard and leather wrapped hilt.

It was about twice the length of my arm and double-edge. Its sheath or scabbard, whatever it was called, was a simple black leather.

After making those observations, a thought hit me. One that made me dread the truth of the current situation that I found myself in.

"This better just be a dream and not some crazy sci-fi fantasy crap that leads to a crappy self-insert fanfic scenario," I said.

Self-inserts were fun to imagine, read, and sometimes write, but actually living one out? Yeah... I'd pass on that. Some things were better left in the realm of wishful fantasy. Not only that, but I rather liked the plain old Earth I was born on.

I had commitments, people I cared for, and a happy, if not completely content, life back home. There was no way I'd pass that up even for another life in a fantasy world.

Still, as I took another look around my surroundings, it seemed that whatever "this" was, I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Realizing that, I decided to try and figure out what was going on.

Another examination of my surroundings and clothes didn't give me anything other than a deceptively light bag of gold coins.

I sighed and started walking along the path towards the town. _Hopefully they can tell me where I am... or at the least give me a place to stay for the night._

* * *

When I arrived at the town, the first thing I noticed was its layout.

A river coursed through the center of the town, splitting it in half. A stone bridge connected the two parts and a water fountain marked its midpoint. Surrounding the center were houses. Yet, they weren't the kinds of houses I was used to, those wooden and plastic siding houses in neat geometric shapes. These houses were roughly hewn and made of brick.

_They kind of look like those houses in a typical JRPG actually._

I entered through the east entrance, and from there I could see a marketplace on the other side of town. People milled about, dressed in simple clothing. Women were dressed in blouses of varying shades of green and matching skirts, whereas the men were dressed in tan shirts and matching pants.

Each of the townsfolk were busy doing various tasks, ranging from laundry to forging steel.

Seeing all of that only reinforced my growing suspicion that I wasn't on Earth anymore. _Still_, I thought, _there's no confirmation of that._

It was possible that I was just... moved to a third world country in my sleep? _That doesn't seem very likely, now that I think about it._

I sighed and made my way towards the marketplace. I could ask around there and find out more about the situation I am, and more importantly where I was.

"Hail, traveler!"

I blinked at looked around. A man waved at me and approached. He was balding with some bits of scraggly brown hair, and had on a friendly smile. It faded a bit when he noticed the sword strapped to my side, but returned after a short moment.

"Welcome to Southtown!" he said.

"Er... what?"

Southtown? I didn't know of any place called that near where I was from. If I was moved around in my sleep as some sort of practical joke, they must have gone pretty far out of there way to do so.

_The name seemed familiar though..._

"You look a little lost. Where you from, sonny?"

The sudden shift to a familiar tone took me off guard, but I shook it off.

"Ah," I said. "I'm from... out of town. In fact, I'm not too sure how I got here."

The man nodded. "I see... foreign, eh? Not surprised, with how you look. You from Valm by any chance?"

It was a simple question. Pretty casual one at that. Just typical small talk, and one the man probably wasn't expecting much of a response to.

That simple questions froze me in my tracks.

_Valm?_

Despite my limited knowledge of geography, I knew for a fact that wasn't the name of a country on Earth. The only place I knew- No, the only _game_ I knew with a country called Valm was...

_Dammit. Of all things, Fire Emblem Awakening? Where people can die left and right with a simple mistake?_

This wasn't good. Not at all. I might have been able to beat the game, but that was through judicious amounts of grinding and resetting to ensure everyone lived. Even then, as the player, I had an insane advantage to making sure that the Shepherds lived, namely access to a bird's eye view of the terrain and all sorts of useful information.

An advantage that I wouldn't have here, since this had become reality and no longer a simple video game.

_Well... at least I'm not the Avatar. _

If I was, odds are I wouldn't be dressed the way I was. If anything, I looked more like the tactician from Blazing Sword rather than the one from this game. Not only that, but if I was the tactician for this game, I would have run into the Shepherds already.

"Sonny? You alright there?"

I blinked. _Right. I was talking to someone._

"Yeah," I said. "I'm fine."

My voice came out more shaken than I would have liked, but it wasn't too out of the ordinary.

Or so I thought.

The man narrowed his eyes, the friendliness starting to shift into suspicion. "Of course you are, sonny. Of course you are."

I decided to change the topic before any trouble could start. "So. Where's the nearest inn?"

The man gave me a look that showed he didn't miss my intent, but eventually turned and pointed towards the marketplace. "Right 'cross the bridge there. Name's River Runner. Can't miss it."

I gave him a quick 'thank you' and walked away.

I needed to think.

* * *

The inn was the first building after crossing the bridge to the marketplace. While it was similar in style to the rest of the buildings in the town, the interior was surprisingly modern. A welcome surprise for sure. There was even running water, which was a huge relief considering that I didn't even realize how much I would have missed it until now.

After paying for a room, I flopped onto my bed for the night and stared at the ceiling.

Ylisse. That was where I was. And the town I was in, Southtown, that was where the game began.

Since there weren't any signs of Chrom, Frederick, or Liz, it seemed likely that I wasn't the Avatar.

That meant that I was free to do what I wanted. Despite that, the sword digging into my side reminded me that I needed to decide what I wanted to do next, and soon. This town was set to be raided by bandits any moment now, from what I could remember at least, and unless I wanted to die a horrible death I had to leave, or get ready to cause deaths myself.

_...Yeah. Let's not think about that right now._

I didn't really want to find out how I'd react to a situation like that.

Anyway, planning.

I hadn't played Awakening in a long, long time. _When did it come out again...? The winter of last year? This year?_ Either way, my memories of it were definitely fuzzy.

In all honesty, it was probably better that way. This wasn't a game or a fanfic after all (despite the clichéd setup I seemed to be experiencing) but real life. These also weren't fictional characters I would be meeting, but real people. Each with their own stories, lives, and families.

They would be better off without me in the mix, especially since I wasn't sure if I was in the Future Past timeline or the actual playable game timeline.

_Ah_. That reminded me. Wasn't there an Outrealm gate around here somewhere? The portal that allowed access to all the DLC stuff in other worlds? If I went there, I could probably head back home... maybe. Hopefully?

I sighed.

Either way, I had to make a decision. I knew myself well enough that the moment I met the Shepherds would be the moment I'd give up on finding a way home. Even if they didn't know who I was, I had spent countless days, weeks, even months getting to know them. Getting attached to them.

They were my best friends I had never met, and I couldn't just leave them here to an uncertain future. Not when I knew the steps I could take to assure they arrived at the conclusion safely.

I got out of my bed.

The room I had rented for the night didn't have much in it. A bathroom to the side, a window opposite the bed showing the area in front of the inn, and a door leading into the rest of the inn sitting on the opposite side of the bathroom were the only interesting features. Well, that and the bed.

I walked over to the window and stared outside at the blue sky.

To leave, or to stay?

I wasn't a fighter or a warrior, like the people in this world and the people that I would meet.

Sure, I did some training here and there with my swords, but that was mostly for fun and trying to recreate various techniques from animes.

Fighting other people- no, killing other people?

...I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to whether I could do that or not.

I wanted to say that I couldn't. That I was an upstanding person who would be repulsed to even think of doing so... but I also knew that I couldn't deny that I wouldn't kill someone. There had been more than a few times in my life where my temper had gotten the better of me, and after those times I never regretted it.

...In any case, I was a writer, a student, and a programmer. Not a fighter. My skill set might intersect a bit with what was required to live in this world due to the various hobbies I took up, but I wasn't sure I could survive here. Not without some serious adjustments, and I wasn't sure I wanted to adjust when I still liked my old life so much and had so much to do.

Hell, I still needed to write the latest chapter in my Fate/Familiar of Zero cross!

I let out a groan and pressed my head against the window-

"Well... crap."

-only to see a group of men set fire to the church on the other side of the river and then disperse into the town, wreaking havoc along the way.

Screams, pleas for help, violence.

My heart raced, blood pounding in my head.

Before I could act on that feeling, I noticed a familiar group of people appear on the southern side of the marketplace. That of a cavalier in heavy steel plated armor, a blue-haired man wielding a golden blade, a blonde cleric with a ridiculous hairstyle and yellow dress, as well as a white-haired young man dressed in an all-too-familiar cloak with purple eyes patterned on it.

They had arrived.

The decision point. Rationally, it was best to leave it up to them. Realistically, there was nothing I could do that would help them. Rightfully, this fight belonged to them, and I had no place to interfere.

I knew all of that, and yet I found myself dashing out of my room, my sword already drawn and trailing by my side.

I heard the innkeeper let out a shout of concern, and I saw the other patrons scatter as I entered the reception area of the inn.

I ignored them, all of my attention focused on the situation taking place outside.

The closest bandit was a muscular swordsman with a large and rusty iron blade as tall as he was. Brown hair and a not too memorable face.

He was standing a short distance outside of the inn's entrance, and had been making his way towards it when I ran out.

The bandit grinned, raising his sword with ease and shifting into a firm, two-handed stance.

_Oh crap. Crap. Crapcrapcrap._

I was going to die. It was as simple as that. I had a stupid impulse and acted on a stupid idea before I could think about its ramifications.

Rushing headfirst into a life or death situation where the other party had no qualms about killing you, or of killing in general, wasn't one of my smartest ideas.

Even so, it was too late to back out now. My sword was already in my right hand, trailing behind me as I ran forward, and me left hand was held out in front of me.

It was painfully obvious what kind of attack I intended to do. I knew it, and the swordsman knew it too.

But I was too committed to this course of action to change it. What was that quote again...? Abandon your fear? Move forward and don't stop? No... you'll die if you hesitate.

I had already shown my hand, so there was nothing left to do but play it.

I stepped into range. The bandit swung his sword at my foolishly unprotected head.

Fast. Far faster than I could have expected a sword that big to be swung. I had underestimated him. An amateur mistake on my end.

A flash of adrenaline. The moment before I was going to be cut in half, I managed to swing my sword up to meet it.

I parried... or at least tried to.

They made it look so easy in anime and games. The theory was simple as well, and one that I knew well. To parry, you simply had to meet the tip of your opponent's sword with the base of your own. Due to more leverage, you could brush the attack aside and quickly follow up with your own attack.

I had practiced the maneuver at least a thousand times. Even so, the blow was _heavy_.

My sword rebounded from the attempt, and I only avoided killing myself by quickly turning my wrist and bringing my entire right arm across my left shoulder, wrapping it around my neck like I was getting ready to perform a powerful diagonal slash.

Still, my parry succeeded. The bandit's blade was shifted to the side and missed me entirely. However, the man was already moving, not fazed in the least by my actions.

He took a big step back and swung his blade behind him, preparing to bring it across in a ferocious horizontal slash that would split me in half.

A surge of panic. I didn't know what to do.

A crippling fear. I was afraid of getting cut by the blade. Terrified of messing up and dying. Horrified of killing.

I almost froze up.

_To hesitate is to die._

The man stepped forward, his muscles rippling as his body tensed in preparation to cleave me in two.

"Robin! Over there!"

I heard Chrom's voice call out. Surprisingly, he sounded nothing like the voice actor. Instead, his voice was more... charismatic was the only way to put it.

But that was something I noted in the back of my mind. A subconscious observation.

-They said that you would find out who you truly were when faced with life or death. That a brush with oblivion could change a person, revealing hidden depths in one's personality, one's potential.

Faced with mortal peril, I realized it.

The thin veneer of humanity. It was a front I had put on.

Pleasing others, acting nice. That was a habit. It wasn't my true nature. In fact, that was a restraint, one I had built up over the years not to act out with the violence that I was all too knowledgeable about.

I lunged forward, closing the distance in an instance.

The bandit flinched. He must have been caught off guard at the sudden dichotomy in my actions.

Of course. I had been hesitant before. Fearful.

I threw that away now.

My right leg snapped out in a practiced roundhouse kick.

A sickening _crack_, and a gasp of pain.

I brought my leg to the ground and jumped back.

The bandit's return slash cut through empty air, a desperation attack.

This battle was already over.

He had overreached. I had not.

I found myself moving forward once more, my body automatically assuming a lowered stance with my sword behind me.

The bandit struggle to regain his balance, scrambling backwards to avoid his impending doom.

Too slow.

I stomped my right foot against the ground and twisted my torso, causing my sword to cut upwards.

Blood splattered, and there was a strangled scream.

Another slash put an end to that.

A chilling sensation, travelling from my sword to my body, calmed my fraying nerves.

_Ah. That's what this sword is._

The blade that could steal an enemy's life force for your own. A cursed sword of golden light, originally from the GBA Fire Emblem games. The Runesword.

Footsteps approached.

"Well that's the end of that. Nicely done."

I turned towards the voice.

It was a man around my age, early twenties. Silver hair. A calm, charismatic voice and a friendly smile. Clothes similar to my own, yet different.

"Not as easily as you could have done it, Robin."

I could see the way my words affected him. How his eyes widened in surprise, and how his expression turned into one of hope.

A mistake. A careless slip that would no doubt have serious repercussions in the future.

_I don't care._

Another voice interrupted any response Robin could have given to my words.

"So you got to him in time."

That was Chrom. He took a glance at the body on the ground, then turned towards me. "Looks like he didn't need your help though, did he, Robin?"

Frederick approached and gave me a scrutinizing look. "Indeed, he did not. Though to falter as he did in the beginning... perhaps he is unused to combat?"

"All the better that we arrived in time then."

Chrom gave me a warm smile, one that spoke of how happy he was that I was safe.

A strange sentiment, considering he didn't know me, but one that I appreciated anyway.

"Regardless," Frederick said. "It seems that he is no hapless victim, milord. As it were, neither is Robin." He narrowed his eyes and looked at both me and Robin. "Perhaps an explanation is in order?"

I ignored the conversation at that point. It was continuing along the lines of what I remembered from the game, and so unimportant to myself.

Instead, I turned my thoughts to my recent actions.

-I had killed someone.

I had killed someone, and it didn't bother me. No, if anything, I was upset that I wasn't able to react faster and end his life in that first slash.

Something was seriously wrong with me.

Was it because of how I ended up here? Did I get 'damaged' along the way to make me like this? While I could see my actions as something that could occur, knowing myself as I did, they weren't something natural. Not something that I consciously would choose, or my natural impulse.

Was that a way to 'acclimatize' me to this world? A way to ensure that I could fit in and survive by whoever or whatever sent me here?

-I didn't like it. This didn't feel like me anymore. If anything, it felt like how 'the Sword' might react-

"And what of you?"

"Huh?"

Chrom was staring at me, along with Robin, Frederick, and Liz. It looked like I had been asked a question.

"...I'm sorry?"

"Ah. How rude of me."

I meant to apologize for my lack of attention, but Chrom seemed to have misinterpreted my words. "I should have introduced us first. Well." He straightened and gave me a warm smile. "I'm Chrom. That brusque knight over there is Frederick..."

Said knight huffed at that, but his narrowed gaze never left me.

"...the delicate blonde girl over there is my sister Lissa-"

_Oh, I remembered her name wrong._

That wasn't very reassuring. If I was misremembering character names, what else could I have mistaken or forgotten?

"I am not delicate!" Lissa flushed and stomped the ground, throwing a minor tantrum at that. It looked more to be for show then actual anger though.

"-and that's Robin. Now, what's your name?"

I opened my mouth to respond, and then closed it.

...I couldn't remember my name. I knew that I knew what it was, but when I thought about it, the name eluded me. Like something I couldn't access, yet knew existed.

_It's not like it matters, does it?_ This was all probably just a crazy dream, so I decided that I might as well adopt the role that would suit this situation the best.

"Mark. My name is Mark."

A few years later, I would regret not having gone back to sleep when I first woke up on that grassy field by the sea.


	2. Unwelcome Changes

Chapter 1: Unwelcome Changes

* * *

We were walking in a forest. From what I could remember, this was about where the next chapter would start.

Robin and Chrom were talking together out in front. It seemed like Robin was curious about why Chrom bothered to pick him up when the lord found him unconscious out in the fields.

Frederick was scouting ahead, ever the dutiful knight. Which left me in the back with Lissa.

"So... Mark, right?"

Lissa clasped her hands behind her back and leaned towards me, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Where did you learn to fight like that? And where are you from? I mean, you don't look like you're from around here. And that sword is really different from the ones here in Ylisse."

It turned out that Lissa really like to talk. Not that I minded, but she didn't seem to have the concept of personal space or tact... then again, as a princess (or was it just royalty?) she probably didn't need it.

I let out a breath, focusing on the present and not my thoughts. A technique I learned to calm my naturally chaotic mind.

"Well, I'm from a place really far from here. So far that it's practically out of this world."

And there I was resorting to half-truths already... this was really starting to irritate me. I knew what I meant to say was that I came from another world, not try to hide it. Was this a balancing factor? Were the forces that be trying to maintain the balance by preventing me from giving knowledge that would distort the timeline too much? But then why did they let me say that I knew Robin?

Lissa blinked and tilted her head. "Huh? So... you're from like Valm? Across the seas?"

"Something like that," I muttered.

I didn't know why I was here, or how I got here. That was troubling enough. But now it seemed that my very personality was being taken over, that my very actions were being taken out of my control.

What the hell?

...Was there someone out there, some divine being or person behind a screen directing my actions? I didn't really believe in things like that, but considering that I was in a place I had thought for a fact was fiction...

No. I couldn't think like that. Those thoughts led to insanity, and a complete mental breakdown. Considering how fine the line was already for me, I would rather stay on the side that left me at least capable of function.

A sudden view of golden curls. Lissa had stepped in front of me, her face hovering just before mine.

My breath stopped.

There it was, another reminder that this wasn't a game. I hadn't really noticed it, but she was strikingly beautiful. No, that word didn't cover it. I had seen and met attractive women in my time, but Lissa was something else. It was the kind of beauty you only really read about, a type of radiance that royalty were supposed to convey, and yet didn't in reality.

It wasn't surprising. Her appearance in game was already 'cute'. Translated to reality, it was heart-stopping.

I closed my eyes and counted to ten, clearing my mind. If this was how every other female character was going to be, I had better prepare myself.

...Maybe it wasn't such a good idea going along with this. Screw dying in combat, I'd likely die of a heart-attack from heart-stopping beauty.

"Mark? What's wrong?"

I opened my eyes, now prepared for Lissa's appearance. She was still beautiful, but my heart didn't seem to want to break from looking at her anymore.

A good thing, since I could absolutely refused to ship myself with any of the characters. I mean, sure I cared for them and there were more than a few of the ladies that I wouldn't mind getting to know better but-

_I am not going along with your plans, man behind the screen!_

Another breath. Lissa was concerned, and the others had already gone ahead.

Breathe.

I gave her a smile. "I'm fine, Lissa. I just wasn't expecting you to be so close."

She blinked, and then realized what she was doing. "O-oh! Sorry about that..."

She leaned back and looked to the ground, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Chrom keeps scolding me about that, but I keep forgetting. Sorry..."

Breathe. It wasn't like she planned to be so adorable. And besides, we were getting left behind.

"Don't worry about it."

It was surprisingly easy to shift into an aloof persona. The benefits of being a writer, perhaps? I was already used to writing similar characters, so maybe adopting their personalities for myself was a natural extension of that.

Still didn't mean I liked doing it.

"Come on. We should catch up."

I purposefully stepped around Lissa and started marching towards the others.

"Right!"

Like a switch had been flipped, Lissa was cheerful again and by my side, all traces of her earlier abashed look gone.

_...Wait. Was that my first support conversation? It was, wasn't it?_

I took a quick glance at Lissa again, and saw that she seemed a bit more cheerful than I had thought.

_...Yeah. I'm going to kill the person who sent me here._

xxx

Night fell, and we set up camp. Frederick had managed to hunt a bear and roast it, just like he did in the game, and we were all gathered around a fire, eating. Well, all of us except for Frederick and Lissa.

"...Ew." The blonde princess (or whatever her title was) scrunched up her nose in disgust at the strip of meat. "Why couldn't you hunt us a normal animal for once, Frederick? This smells like... boots. Dirty, icky, boots."

Frederick closed his eyes and gave her a small smile. "Milady, you should eat. Even if it's unpleasant, the experience good for you."

Lissa shot a glare at Frederick. "I don't see you eating it!"

I sighed, ignoring the severe sense of nostalgia from listening to their conversation, and then took a bite of my own bear meat.

It wasn't that bad. A little chewy, but it was fine, otherwise.

Then again, I wasn't that much of a picky eater.

As I ate, I thought about my future here.

So far, it looked like events would follow the canon timeline. There hadn't been any changes to the story so far, though it was still too early to tell.

And wasn't that surreal? I knew the future for this world. What could happen, what would happen.

Emmeryn's death. The war against Valhart and his army. Grima's revival.

...No. At best, I had vague images and impressions. It had just been too long since I played Awakening for me to remember the timeline. If I tried to change things, the only likely outcome was causing something worse to happen.

Like the game, I had to take things turn by turn.

To begin with, I had ended up in Ylisse through mysterious circumstances. All I could remember was going to sleep after doing some writing on my latest fanfiction. The next thing I knew, I was alone on the grassy fields where the game started, dressed like a tactician and armed with a Runesword.

Next, something was seriously wrong with me. It seemed that certain aspects of my personalities were... amplified for a lack of a better word. That was the only explanation I had for what I did to that swordsman. Ruthless and unforgiving. For some reason, I was much more steely now than I knew I was, not even giving a single thought to a man I had murdered in cold blood.

Considering that I was still hung up on someone I was only acquainted with back in high school committing suicide, the fact that I didn't give a damn for someone whose life I had taken with my own two hands was extremely disturbing.

And then there was the fact that it seemed that I was unable to divulge my true identity as a person from another world. Though that didn't seem to stop me from identifying Robin when I met him. That conversation would definitely be interesting.

I shook my head and looked over at the people I would be travelling with for the foreseeable future.

They were good people. Authentic in a way that those I met back in 'reality' weren't.

Chrom was sincerely kind and compassionate. Though you could call him naive, he was just a caring person, fair and noble like a Lord was supposed to be.

Frederick still seemed to suspect me and Robin of being a threat to Ylisse, but that was expected. He was a knight, loyal to Chrom and Lissa, and didn't want to see either of them hurt. Something that me and Robin could very well have set out to do, if we weren't who we were.

Lissa... she was bubbly, but adorable for it. She had caught me off guard earlier, but after getting over her appearance, I couldn't help but feel protective of the blonde. So innocent and charming... though it wouldn't last long after the events to come.

And then there was Robin. The enigmatic and amnesiac tactician who was fated to become Grima's avatar- come to think about it, his amnesia was caused by Grima coming back to the past, right? Since he didn't have his memories, it looked like I had arrived during the game timeline and not the future past or the one where Lucina came from.

Anyway, the tactician was an overall nice guy. Calm, thoughtful. He got along well with the others and wasn't rude or intrusive. Even though his past was missing, he seemed to not dwell on it, living more in the moment and for the future.

"You're looking thoughtful there, Mark. What are you thinking?"

Chrom's voice drew me out of my thoughts.

The lord had taken a seat by my side when I wasn't paying attention.

"Ah, just reflecting on the past."

The 'past' being their future I left out.

Chrom nodded, and leaned back, having finished his bear meat. "I see."

He was quiet for a bit, probably waiting for me to elaborate. When I didn't, he continued talking. "If you don't mind me asking, Mark, where are you from? It's not often that we get travelers so far south, especially one as foreign in appearance as yourself."

There it was again with the 'foreigner' remark. Did I really look that-

Oh. Right. Considering I was Asian, I would definitely stand out in contrast to the citizens of Ylisse, who looked to be more European in appearance.

I was surprised I forgot about that, but it was never a big deal back home, so it must have slipped my mind.

"Oh, Mark's from far away!" Lissa chimed in, apparently finding our conversation more interesting than her piece of bear meat. "Like_, really _far away. He told me, earlier."

"Is that so, milady?"

Again, Frederick's scrutiny was turned on me. "And what else did this... Mark... tell you?"

She stuck her tongue out at the knight. "That's a secret!"

"Milady, I insist that-"

"Frederick. Enough."

Chrom sent a glare to the knight, nothing too serious, but enough to stop Frederick's protests.

He turned back to me and sighed. "Sorry about that. Frederick's just being cautious."

"Someone has to be around here, milord."

Another glare from Chrom, and the knight excused himself, having said his piece.

"Anyway, you're from faraway, you say? So are you from Valm then, the land over the seas?"

I set down the piece of meat I had, no longer interested in eating it. "Not really. I don't think you'd have heard of where I was from. I haven't seen it on any maps around here."

_Lies._

Again, evading the truth.

"Hm... interesting. Why did you come so far away from home then? There's not much to do down in Southtown other than take long naps on the plains."

The last bit was added with a slight smirk.

Robin frowned at the jab. "Hey!"

Chrom smiled. "I kid, I kid. I'm sure you had your reasons, Robin."

The light-hearted humor was definitely different from the game. Even more of a reminder that this was _real_ and not the same as the strategy game I had played so long ago.

"But truly, Mark. Why were you so far south? If you're a traveler, I would have thought Ylisstol, the capital, would be more of interest."

"Ah, I am interested in seeing Ylisstol."

It would be fun to see the place with my own eyes rather than an artist's rendition of it.

"But Southtown is where I found myself to be, so it's where I was when I met you four."

There was a lull in the conversation, and then Robin said, "Mark. I've been meaning to ask you something."

_Hm? What could he possibly- oh. Right._

"When we first met, you responded to me by my name before I introduced myself. Do you... know who I am?"

The last words were almost pleading.

I sighed. This wasn't how I expected things to go, but now that it had come up. "I do- don't. You just reminded me of someone I once knew, so I called you by his name. Sorry for giving you false hope. "

_What the-_

There it was again. That change from my thoughts to my words.

Robin's face fell. "Oh. No, it's okay. I just thought that maybe-"

"No. Wait. I-"

I ground my teeth, forcing my mouth to shape the words. "Know... who... you... are...!"

Pain. Pain, pain, painpainpain!

A searing sensation in my mind, a burning turning my thoughts to black, to white, to punish me for doing the forbidden.

And then it stopped, with a haunting feminine voice echoing through my mind.

_You shouldn't have done that, Outrealmer._

"Mark!"

Lissa's concerned voice. She had gotten up and made her way towards me, healing staff in hand.

Robin, on the other hand, was stunned, and then horrified. "A curse...! No, Mark. Don't say anything else!"

_A curse, huh? Well screw you, powers that be! I won't let you use me as a puppet!_

I was a writer, damn it, and I would tell the truth! I refused to bow to another person's plot while I still lived. This was my story!

"By the gods! Mark! You're bleeding!"

I blinked, realizing my vision had gone red. But I knew that I couldn't stop now. To refuse to continue would be giving up, allowing the power or deity responsible for me being here to do with me as they wished.

"...Strategist. Master... tactician! Robin, you're-"

_Fine. If you wish to upset the balance so much, then so be it. They will no longer have my aid, Outlander. The Awakening, Grima's revival... I will not provide the power to-_

_Oh, shut up you old dragon._

A new voice. This one male and... familiar?

The feminine voice I knew now to be Naga, the divine dragon. But the latter... it wasn't Grima, so-

_He'll do fine without you. I'm sure 'Mark' will be worthy of my name before long. _

"Lissa, heal him already!"

"I'm trying, Robin, but it's not working! Whatever's going on-"

_You... so a Historian has taken interest in this world. I see... very well. I shall no longer interfere in your actions, Outlander. But be warned that the sole responsibility-_

_Yeah, yeah. I'm sure the guy gets it. He's had plenty of experience with that sort of thing, after all. Writers always do._

I could hear a huff of sorts, and then the sound of... cracking glass?

_And there she goes. Good luck, 'Mark'. I'm sure that a wizard like you can figure things out. _

I blinked, seeing the others gathered around me. They all looked worried. Even Frederick.

"Oh thank the gods!" Lissa wrapped me in a tight hug. "You're alright!"

"Er... yeah."

I wasn't sure what just happened though. Naga intervening, another voice chiming in, and then... entrusting me with the fate of this world? Did I just get suckered into being a guardian of balance?

Scratch that, did I just get into an argument with the forces that be on the first day of getting here? And did I win?

Lissa leaned back and I realized that I had fallen to the ground at some point.

Yeah, I was really hitting all the clichés of typical self-inserts, wasn't I?

No, there was still a chance to salvage this. I just had to play it off cool-

"Just what in the Fell Dragon's name did you think you were doing, Mark?!"

In the face of a furious Robin, the same Robin who I had never seen act in such a wrathful manner, that decision evaporated.

"You were bound! Extremely powerful magic, both divine and dark, were compelling you not to speak any further. What were you thinking?!"

I stood up, ignoring the looks that the others were giving me, and cleared my throat. Well, tried to. I didn't expect the small bloody coughing attack that followed.

"Well," I managed to say after a while. "I was thinking about telling you how I knew you. It seems that some of the powers that be didn't like that though."

I paused, waiting for my will to be subverted like it had been earlier.

Nothing.

_Well crap._

It looks like they hadn't been kidding about me getting sole responsibility for the future.

Chrom frowned. "The powers that be... do you mean Naga? But why would the Divine Dragon want you to-"

I coughed, distracting them from that line of thought. I wasn't quite ready yet to explain that I was from another world, even if I could now.

_I probably should have thought that through more, in hindsight..._

Pride had gotten me what I wanted, but knowledge was a double-edged blade, and the application of it even more so.

"Can we talk about this some other time? I'm feeling pretty exhausted after that."

That had the four almost tripping over themselves to get me settled in for the night. Well, three. Frederick just oversaw it.

And seeing that, I had a sudden startling and heart-stopping realization:

The world was starting to revolve around me, like some crappy Mary Sue. Or Gary Stu in this case.

_No! I refuse to let that happen!_

I would not be degraded into another crappy self-insert! I was a person, and not some idealized, wish-fulfilling delusion!

But then my world turned black, exhaustion from arguing with a Divine Being sinking in at last.

xxx

When I woke up, the world was ablaze.

"Mark, wake- oh. You're up."

Robin was standing there, bronze sword drawn in his right hand and lightning tome in his left.

I staggered to my feet and then drew my own blade. "What's going on?"

I looked around. "Where's everyone else?"

Confused. The dregs of sleep were still hanging heavy on my mind, and everything seemed to be too bright, too fast.

"Chrom and Lissa are missing. Frederick went ahead on his horse to find them."

Missing? Frederick going to find them...

_Oh no._

I looked to the black sky, just in time to see an azure portal tear it apart.

I remembered the animated sequence from the game being creepy. After all, they were a bunch of reanimated corpses emerging from what looked to be a giant eye.

That was nothing compared to the reality.

It wasn't the only eye. Shortly after it opened, a dozen, a hundred, a countless number lit up the night sky with an unnatural electric blue light, tingeing everything with its otherworldly color.

From those, the Risen fell, a veritable army of undead pouring all over the continent.

_No wonder they never seem to disappear after you kill them._

With how many were appearing, it was a miracle that the Shepards weren't overwhelmed when they traveled from city to city.

"By the gods... Mark! We have to run. Now!"

Robin broke off in a dead sprint, probably in the direction that Frederick had gone.

I didn't need any further prompting and quickly gave chase.

As we ran through the forest, I could only give thanks to my past self for being obsessed with getting in shape after watching 'American Ninja Warrior'. It was only because of that training I did afterwards that I was still in fighting shape when we arrived at the clearing where Chrom and Lissa were.

Of course, Murphy's law would have it that we get attacked just when we arrived.

Robin jumped back, just as a tomahawk cut into the space in front of him. "Ambush!"

He spun, runes spiraling around his right hand as he chanted a spell. Crackling electricity shot out, seeking the one who had attacked.

The undead warrior was felled, but the sight of the magic spell attracted more to take its place.

There was the shuffling of leaves and sound of broken twigs from behind me. I turned and nearly froze.

_This isn't anything like the game..._

A half dozen Risen. Three axemen and three swordsmen.

"Crap."

Surprisingly, the one who spoke wasn't me.

I took a quick glance back, following Robin's gaze, only to see Chrom and Frederick on the verge of being overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Lissa had been left unprotected. A fact that the Risen did not let lie unnoticed.

One of the Risen managed to slip past Chrom and Frederick. It was just an axeman, slow and cumbersome, but Lissa couldn't defend herself.

"Mark. Can you hold your ground?"

A serious question. One that required complete honesty from my part. One that I had to answer right then and there.

-There weren't many options.

If Robin stayed here with me, that meant Lissa would die unless Chrom or Frederick disengaged to attack the advancing Risen. But that would leave the other alone to face a half dozen undead, meaning either Chrom or Frederick would die.

If Robin left to go save Lissa, I would be left alone to face a half dozen undead.

If we both left, we could probably save Lissa and help Chrom and Frederick, but we would also be increasing the number of enemies.

If I stayed by myself, Robin could go save Lissa. But in that case, I would be left alone to face a half dozen undead, odds I sincerely doubted I'd survive against.

But out of every possibility, there was only one I could ever agree with.

I turned back towards the Risen.

"Go, now!"

To hesitate was to die. In this case, it wouldn't be just me who would be killed if I faltered.

I didn't know why I was here, why I was chosen of all people to be sent to Ylisse. But in the end, that didn't matter.

Though the powers that be had done some meddling in my life and my personality, there was one thing that never changed.

No matter what, I would not let my friends die. And though I had only gotten to know these people face to face for a short day, I already knew that I would give anything to ensure their safety.

_Damn. Me and my stupid hero complex..._

"I'll be right back! Don't die!"

With those short words, I heard Robin run off, leaving me alone to deal with the advancing Risen.

Seeing the six undead spread out before me, I only had one thing to say.

"Please don't be lunatic plus mode..."

An inhuman roar filled the air, and then they were upon me.

xxx

_Thank god for dark magic._

That was the only thought in my mind as I launched a desperate attack against the Risen.

Again, I cursed my stupid hero complex for choosing this course of action. It was unnecessary, utterly stupid, and insanely, suicidally, reckless.

To begin with, I was sorely outmatched. As if the world itself was against me (which it probably was in hindsight), the Risen were insanely powerful and _fast_.

My plea for them not to be Lunatic plus enemies went unanswered, as I clearly recognized skills like Luna+ and Vantage+ going off. Blades shining blue, attacking before I could even think of a counter. Yeah, things weren't going well.

My only saving grace was the Runesword that had been graciously supplied to me on my arrival in this world.

It was impossible for me to match them head on, so I used my inferiority as a weapon. It was a sound theory... at least I thought so at the time. I had thought that, since Shirou could use that tactic to fight Servants, who were far, far beyond and normal human's ability to fight, I could apply it in some manner here to make sure I didn't die.

The main problem was that I didn't have two swords. That, and I couldn't use reinforcement magic.

Unlike Shirou, and Archer, who had perfected the technique, I had neither the experience nor the lack of self-importance they had to use it effectively. Whereas they could calmly and methodically control and direct the flow of battle by allowing fake lethal openings that their opponent could not help but attack, I was forced to leave actual lethal openings to just survive.

Pain. My mind had already gone numb from the number of times my body had been torn apart and forced back together.

The Risen were relentless killing machines. Methodical, and efficient, they ruthlessly attacked my openings.

A spear through my side. An axe to my chest. Cuts, bruises, and gaping wounds littered my body as they continued their onslaught.

They paid for my blood with their own, as I countered each with my own attacks, strikes they could not evade due to their close proximity.

Unlike Shirou's style, which could be called recklessly suicidal, mine could literally be called suicidal. Hell, the only thing that kept me alive was the Runesword and my body's automatic response to any attack by striking with one of its own.

It was pathetic, painful to use, and probably heart-wrenching to watch. But that was the only thing I could do right now, the only thing I had going for me. Since I was worthless in combat, I had to use my inferiority as a weapon, offer myself as bait in battle and use that to slaughter the enemy.

In hindsight, it was probably a good thing that the Runesword's healing seemed to act as a sort of calming agent, otherwise I would have been driven insane from pain. In fact, I probably already had been driven insane from the pain.

I didn't know how long it took, but eventually the Risen stopped appearing. Unlike how I envisioned the battle to go, more reinforcements kept appearing, and I was forced to persevere against a horde of undead.

Unfortunately, there hadn't been enough life force, or HP as it probably was in game, to fully heal me after the last one died.

I was bleeding all over. After this, I would be more scarred than a decorated war-veteran. Even so, I was alive.

I couldn't help the smirk that crept onto my face. "I guess some people just don't die when they're killed, do they?"

I turned back to where Robin had first run off to, only to see no one there.

"Just my luck..."

I must have used it all up for all the 'Miracles' I kept triggering.

With a sigh, I dragged my wound-riddled body towards the clearing anyway. Robin did say he would be right back, so they'd probably return to it to get me.

The sound of rustling leaves.

My instincts, already on high alert from the countless brushes with death I had in the past... however long it had been, sent me spinning toward the source of the sound, my blade already in mid-swing before I identified who, or what, had caused it.

The sound of clashing steel, and the feeling of my attack getting parried.

I was already moving, my wounded body shifting into a stance that would let me counter a follow up attack from my opponent.

It never came.

"...Uncle Mark... but you-?"

I blinked. That wasn't the sound of an undead warrior.

It was a swordsman, dressed in a blue tunic, leggings, and boots. A cape wrapped around his neck, and a mask obscured his face. Blue hair, gold tiara, and a sword that looked an awful lot like the one Chrom had-

"...Lu-"

"It seems all the creatures are vanquished, milord."

Frederick's appearance made me hold my tongue. Free to speak or not, letting Lucina's presence be known ahead of time was definitely not a good idea.

...Though I'm curious why she called me uncle.

"It seems so. That swordsman must have taken care of the others... but where's Mark, Robin? I thought you said he was back at the clearing?"

Chrom's voice.

After that, the others burst into the clearing, followed by Sully and Virion.

_Oh. This was around the time when they joined, wasn't it?_

A high-pitched scream, and then Lissa was in front of me with a Heal staff. "You reckless dummy!"

Through the blue light of the healing, I saw Robin pinch the bridge of his nose. "Mark. Did I, or did I not ask you if you could hold your ground?"

"Hey, I did hold my ground."

It was hard, but I did do it. Even if I half-killed myself trying.

The tactician sighed. "Yes, but you're practically a dead man walking. I appreciate that you held off the Risen and stopped them from a pincer attack, but in the future, please tell me when you're outmatched. Honestly."

I waved off his concerns. "I'll be-."

The sharp look from Lissa made me hold my tongue again.

"...I'll try."

After that, the group turned their attention on 'Marth', who made the same warning 'he' did in the game. Though I noticed that 'he' paid quite a bit of attention to me.

It made me wonder just what role I played in the future to the Shepards' children.

Marth did 'his' disappearing act, and then Frederick expressed his concerns about the Risen attacking the capital and we were on the move again.

Hopefully there would be time to rest once we got there. I could use some time off after all I've gone through.

...Stupid hero complex.

* * *

A/N: More shenanigans. If you're reading this kudos to you for trudging through. Glad that there are some people that enjoy this, even though it's more of a brain dump than meticulous writing like I usually do.

As for the guest who reviewed, it's not that I wrote all of it in one 15 minute session, but that I wrote all of it in multiple sessions throughout the day as I worked on 'Sword of Origin' for long stretches of time. Because this is generally unfiltered thoughts, it's longer and easier to produce, though the quality likely isn't as high.

Anyway, thanks all for reading. Leave a review if you're so inclined, and farewell until the next time.


	3. To Ylisstol

Chapter 2: To Yllistol

* * *

I took some deep breaths, trying to keep calm and ignore the _(burningsearingjagged) _pain in my body. It turned out that my Runesword, while it healed the injuries I obtained, only temporarily numbed the pain. I should have realized that, since I was being healed by a 'curse' and not the same magic that a healing staff used.

There was always a price for a curse, something that Lissa kept reminding me, even the day after we left for Ylisstol and fought the Risen.

"...that was sooo dumb! Just because your sword can heal you doesn't mean you should fight so recklessly! What if we didn't get there in time? You'd be dead! Even curses don't heal blood loss, dummy! And did you even think about the scarring? They're never going to heal now!"

I sighed, and gave a small smile to Lissa.

We had almost arrived at Ylisstol. At the moment, we were just outside the city, traveling the road to its main entrance. I could see the capital in the distance, the palace towering over the rustic city below.

Sully and Virion had left us to head towards the Shepherd's barracks a while back. That left the group just as it was earlier: Chrom, Frederick, Lissa, Robin, and me.

At the moment, Lissa was traveling beside me, ranting about my reckless attitude in yesterday's battle, while the other guys were walking ahead of us.

I shook my head and then turned my attention back to Lissa.

"Yes, Lissa. I understand. And I still say that it was a good idea at the time. After all, you'd be dead if I hadn't done it, right?"

I answered her rant like I always did, reminding her of the consequences.

Lissa closed her mouth and sent me a glare, but it quickly softened and she turned away. "I know that. But you didn't have to-"

"Lissa," Robin said. "I think Mark gets it now. I'm sure he won't do it again in the future. Right, Mark?"

"Hey. At least I killed them."

Robin sighed. "Well, yes, but-"

"Twas more like a suicidal charge than a battle, Mark." Frederick looked at me, his eyes scrutinizing. "Even the most junior of the Yllisean knights would not have chosen that course of action. Was it not clear that you were outmatched?"

I crossed my arms. "It worked, didn't it? I don't see what the problem is."

Sure, I had almost died over a dozen times, but at least it worked out in the end. Some minor _(stabbingexcruciatingburning)_ pain was a small price to pay for their lives.

Frederick gave me a strange look, and then nodded. "...I suppose that is true. But I am certain that both milord and milady would prefer you not risk your life in the future."

Lissa nodded. "Yeah! Don't be so reckless, dummy!"

"...I wouldn't have thought you would be so concerned about the life of a stranger, Lissa."

Maybe I was being a bit non-chalant about my life, but it wasn't that big of a deal. It had been an eye-opening experience, after all, so I called it even.

Chrom, who had been silent this whole time, stopped and turned around. His usually calm look had been replaced with a steely gaze, one that I would have expected him to give an enemy and not me.

"Don't you dare talk like that, Mark. A life is not something to be thrown away so easily!"

I flinched. _Scary..._

Chrom sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Even if you are a stranger to us, you're a Shepherd now, Mark. We might not know each other yet, but we _do_ care about you. The same goes for you as well, Robin."

He turned back to the front, and said, "...Let's go. We're almost there."

I was silent the rest of the way there.

_Chrom, Lissa... they're really nice people, aren't they?_

xxx

"So this is Ylisstol..." I muttered.

It had already looked impressive from the distance, but up-close it was truly awe-inspiring.

As someone who had never been to an actual castle or historical monuments, seeing the capital with my very eyes was the fulfillment of a long held fantasy.

The castle, or palace, was high above the rest of the town, like it was a monument to the heavens. It was made of shining marble, and seemed to be as big as the town itself.

_Of course. The Exalt is practically a divine figure, so the palace would be built to suit them._

"Indeed, Mark," Frederick said. "And a welcome sight it is."

He took a look around, and then turned towards Chrom. "It appears that the town has been spared from the chaos outside, milord."

"I can see that, Frederick," Chrom said. "Let's hope it stays that way for a while yet."

As we made our way through the crowds of people, I noticed Robin looking around with wide eyes.

"Surprised, Robin?"

He nodded. "I've never seen so many people in one place. It's a bit overwhelming... though you don't seem to be bothered by it."

"Mm, I've been to places with more people."

There were way more students back at my university than here, after all. Being bothered by this many people would be strange after spending all of my time among hordes of students traveling from class to class.

"Really?!"

Lissa suddenly appeared at my side, again a bit too close for comfort.

I took a step back, ignoring the amused smirk on Robin's face, and nodded. "Y-yeah. There's a lot more people where I come from. Streets like these are usually filled with people walking from place to place."

_Well, people and cars. But they don't seem to have any of those here._

"Ooh... I'd like to see that. I thought that Ylisstol was already pretty big, but if there are even more people where you're from..."

I blinked. _Did her eyes suddenly turn into stars?_

"The clothes and candy I could buy! And all the shops... ooh, just thinking about it-"

A random person in the crowd shouted, cutting off Lissa's incoming rant. "Look! The Exalt has come to see us!"

_The Exalt? That would be... Emmeryn, right?_

The crowds in the streets had moved, making way for an entourage of female knights on... winged horses? _Huh. So that's what a Pegasus looks like in real life._

I looked to the front of the knights, towards the one they were meant to protect and found myself at a loss for words.

It wasn't that she was beautiful, though I would say that she was. It wasn't that she was imposing either. No, if anything she was the opposite.

Emmeryn. The Exalt, and older sister of both Chrom and Lissa. The one that was the ruler of all Ylisse.

Just looking at her seemed to put me at ease. There was just a sense of authentic serenity in her demeanor, her expression, her very being that was calming to the soul.

_No wonder Plegia revolted after Gangrel killed her._

If ever there was someone that could be called a 'pure soul' it was her. There was no hint of malice, no hint of malevolence. Not even irritation.

_She's... almost too good for this world._

"The exalt is your ruler, yes?"

Robin's voice brought me out of my reverie.

"Yes," Frederick said. "Her name is Lady Emmeryn."

Robin frowned, looking around at the loud crowd. "Is it safe for her to walk among commoners like this?

"I don't think anyone here would want to hurt her, Robin," I said.

And you could see it in their eyes. All of the people here adored Emmeryn, practically tripping over themselves just to get a look at her.

Frederick nodded. "Indeed, Mark. The exalt is a symbol of peace. Ylisse's most prized quality. Long ago..."

The knight started off into a lecture about Ylisse's history. I already knew most of it from playing the game, and seeing as he wasn't saying anything new, I decided to look around, paying attention to the minor details they didn't show, or rather couldn't show, in an artistic rendition.

It turned out that Cordelia was in the crowd of Pegasus knights guarding Emmeryn. She was in the back, probably because of her low rank or something, but it was a surprise to see her there. That one NPC Pegasus knight, Phila or something, was there as well, leading the troops from Emmeryn's side.

_Such minor details... and yet so authentic._

The interplay between the knights themselves were interesting. The rigid stance was uniform, but there were slight movements, a flicker of their eyes, a brief smile as they looked upon the crowd, that showed they weren't nameless portraits, but genuine people.

_People that would all die when Ylisstol fell._

Could I change that? Keep Ylisstol from falling? _No... I can't be too ambitious. You can't save everyone._

But even if I couldn't-

"You said you were Shepherds!"

I jumped at Robin's sudden outburst.

Chrom laughed.

A quick glance around showed that no one had noticed my reaction. Well, no one except Frederick, but he _was_ called 'Frederick the Wary', after all.

_At least it's not me he's laughing at._

"And so we are, Robin... in a manner of speaking. We just have a LOT of sheep to tend."

_Oh, right. Isn't this where..._

I turned towards Robin, and struggled not to laugh.

The tactician was looking between Chrom and Lissa with wide eyes and an open mouth. "You... and her..."

He suddenly dropped to the ground, frantically getting down on one knee.

That time I did laugh, though I turned to the side to spare Robin the embarassment.

"F-forgive me for my dreadful manners, Prince Chrom! If I have slighted you in any way-"

"Pft-" Lissa put her hands to her mouth, trying to hide her laughter.

Chrom sighed. "Get up, Robin. You haven't done anything wrong."

Robin scrambled to his feet. "But-"

"I've never been much for formalities. Besides, we're all Shepherds here now, aren't we? Just Chrom is fine."

I shook my head at their interaction. _With how Frederick was acting, I would have thought it was obvious... but Robin has amnesia, so I shouldn't make fun of him too much._

"If you say so..." Robin muttered. "But the prince and princess... that explains why Frederick tolerates your teasing."

"Hey Chrom," Lissa said. "Emm's heading back to the palace!"

"So she is," he said.

Chrom looked towards me, and then Robin. "Would you two like to meet her?"

xxx

The entire way to the palace, Robin was a nervous wreck. He hid it well, but it wasn't hard to see that he was worried about meeting someone of such high standing in society.

Since we were heading into the palace, and since Chrom and Lissa were the prince and princess of said palace, they were the ones who led the way. Frederick was right behind them, as a dutiful knight of the realm should be (or so he said).

As guests, Robin and I trailed behind them, far enough to show the difference in stature, while close enough to show we were invited, and not just some random civilians.

I didn't see the point to it all, but decided to go along with it after Robin nearly wrenched my arm off for trying to stay closer to Chrom and Lissa.

"...You should relax, Robin. It's not like they're going to kill you for any faux pas."

Robin sighed, but remained tense. "I know, Mark. I know. But still... this is the Exalt we're going to meet. The ruler of this entire country!" He shook his head. "I don't know how you can be so calm about this. I know I'm not."

This time, I was the one who sighed. _Well, that's a lost cause._

I noticed that we had a lot of eyes on us as we walked through the palace halls. It took me a bit to figure out why, but then I realized how odd it must have seemed.

Though I didn't mind Robin's appearance, he was a definite outlier in comparison to the average citizen in Ylisse. With his startling white hair and his tactician cloak, he was a clear foreigner to the country, just as much as I must have seemed to be.

_No wonder Frederick was so suspicious in the beginning._

The soldiers we passed gave us all scrutinizing glares, sending off a clear vibe of 'you are not welcome'. Though it was brief, considering that we were guests of Prince Chrom and Princess Lissa.

_Oh. That's why he's so nervous._

I'd pretty much gotten used to not caring about what others thought of me in public. It looked like Robin hadn't though.

Eventually, we ran into Emmeryn, who had been walking down the hall from what looked to be the throne room.

"Chrom! Lissa! Welcome home."

She gave her siblings a warm smile, and then turned her attention to Frederick. "And a good day to you as well, Frederick. How fared you all?"

I left the talking to Chrom and decided to take the time to study Emmeryn. Like my first impression of her, she carried an aura of serenity around her, but it seemed to be subdued now. Seeing her interact with Chrom and Lissa brought a more 'human' element to her character that hadn't been apparent when she was walking among the crowd earlier. She was just like everybody else, albeit more kind and graceful than most.

I blinked when I realized that everyone was looking at me, including that Pegasus knight _(when did she get here?)_.

_Oh crap._

I gave Emmeryn a quick bow and said, "Forgive me, your highness, but I did not hear your words. The honor of being in your presence had left me stunned."

_That works... right?_

"You would speak to the Exalt in such a flippant manner?!"

_...I guess not._

That Pegasus knight seemed to take offense to my words. In fact, she looked furious. And was that a spear she was brandishing?

Emmeryn smiled and held up her hand to the pegasus knight. "Peace, Phila. He seems sincere."

Phila scowled, but quickly smoothed her expression and stepped back to her place beside Emmeryn.

"As I was saying, I am grateful to you for aiding Chrom and Lissa. Without your heroic actions, my siblings may not be here today. For that, I thank you."

I blinked. _I should pay more attention._ Did the others say what I did?

"Forgive me, Your Grace," Frederick said. "But as heroic as his actions may have been, and as helpful as Robin's strategies may have been, we cannot rule out the possibility that they are spies or brigands themselves."

"Frederick!"

Surprisingly, it was Lissa who interjected. "Mark almost died trying to save us from those monsters! You shouldn't talk about him like that!"

Chrom nodded. "And if Robin was not there to help us with his tactics, I doubt we would be standing here talking, Frederick."

Emmeryn looked between her siblings, a small smile on her face. "So they have your trust then? Despite the fact that they may be foreign spies?"

Lissa nodded, her face usual cheerful face set in a determined look. She kept glaring at Frederick, as if he had committed a great wrong.

"Yes," Chrom said. "Both of them risked their lives for our people, and Mark almost died doing so. That's more than enough for me."

_This... isn't how I remember it going._

Was that the result of a single support level? Or were they just the natural result of fledgling friendships? Either way, it seemed that things weren't going to be playing out exactly as they had in the game. Well, that or I wasn't remembering it correctly.

_Hopefully it's the former and not the latter._

"It seems that you two have earned the faith of my dear siblings. As such, you have mine as well." She turned towards Frederick and said, "But thank you, Frederick, for your prudence as always."

The knight gave her a brief bow. "Your Grace."

"Now Chrom," Emmeryn said. "You mentioned deathly creatures appearing across the land?"

When he nodded, Emmeryn said, "Then would you like to join us? We are about to hold council, and your input would be appreciated."

"Of course."

With those words, Chrom and Frederick headed off with Emmeryn and Phila, leaving just me, Robin, and Lissa standing in the hall.

"...Well, that didn't go like I had thought it would."

Robin let out a long sigh. "You can say that again. Though I'm surprised, Mark. 'Your presence had left me stunned'?" He smirked, that same expression that he had in the game when things were going his way. "Either you have nerves of steel, or you have no sense of tact at all."

I shrugged. "I was surprised. Lady Emmeryn is... different than how I imagined her to be."

"Teehee. Emm is nice, isn't she? I bet you were all flustered, Mark. That's why you weren't listening, right?"

I frowned. "No, I just-"

"Ah," Robin said. "No wonder you were so reckless in that last battle. You were just trying to impress the Exalt, weren't you?"

"Of course not!"

"Weeell, Emm is really beautiful. It's not your fault for falling for her charms, Mark."

"I said I'm not-"

Lissa leaned towards me, really, really close. Too close for comfort. "Or maybe you were just trying to impress me?"

_...Note to self. Don't mess with the forces that be anymore. Really, really bad idea. _

Before I could reply, Lissa leaned back and burst out laughing. "Hahaha, your face..."

I glared at her. "Not funny, Lissa."

"Oh I would beg to differ," Robin said. "That was very funny."

"Quiet you. At least I wasn't shaking in my boots on our way here."

Robin frowned. "That's different."

"Hey now, no fighting!"

"We're not fighting," I said. "Just... debating. Right, Robin?"

Lissa grabbed my arm, as well as Robin's, and started leading us away. "Whatever! C'mon, there's a place I want you two to see."

"I can walk on my-"

The glare Lissa sent made me hold my tongue.

_Too adorable... damn._

I glanced over at Robin only to see him with that damnable smirk of his.

_Just you wait, Robin. You'll get what's coming to you as soon as we meet Tharja._

* * *

A/N: And here are some more shenanigans in Ylisse. A bit close to canon, but after this things diverge a bit. It was fun writing it though, so I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review if you did, and I'll see you again whenever I get a suitable amount for a chapter written.


	4. Shepherds and the Verge of History

Chapter 3: Shepherds and the Verge of History

* * *

Lissa gave a dramatic wave of her arm and said, "Ta-da! Welcome to the Shepherd's garrison!"

I tried my best not to be surprised or stunned at what I was seeing, but found it hard not to be. The game had never shown what the outside of the Shepherd's barracks looked like, so I was expecting it to be a part of the castle. Instead, she had led us to a mansion a long walk away, one that definitely did not give off an 'army' feel to it, like I imagined the Shepherd's barracks.

"Impressive," Robin said. He gave the place a once over and shook his head. "But it doesn't seem much like a garrison to me."

Lissa smiled. "I know, right? I was so happy when we finally got to stop using that smelly old place back in the castle." She shuddered.

I paid little attention to their conversation, still in shock at the sight of the Shepherd's garrison. It was _huge_. Not as large as the palace had been, but still far, far larger than any houses I'd ever seen. While I hadn't seen the interior yet, I could already see that there could be dozens of bedrooms inside with enough space leftover for a tennis court or something, if this had been back at home and not Ylisse.

The fact that I was standing in front of towering gilded double doors didn't help to lessen my awe.

Lissa walked past me and grabbed the handles on the door. "Anyway, come on in you two! We've got to introduce you to the rest of the Shepherds!"

I blinked. _Is she going to open them by herself?_ "Here, Lissa. Let me-"

"Heave-ho!"

The doors slammed open. Literally, slammed open. Lissa, who I'd thought to be a dainty princess, had just thrown the doors wide open. Doors which I would have found hard-pressed to do the same. _Note to self. Try not to annoy Lissa. That tiny frame holds more strength than you would think._

I saw Robin take a step back and give Lissa a long look. "Whoa... that's kinda scary, Lissa. You're stronger than I thought."

"Hm?" Lissa turned back and tilted her head. "Oh, I'm not that strong. Frederick just likes to use a lot of grease on the hinges, so they're really easy to open." She closed the doors and stepped back outside. "Here, you try."

I blinked again, trying to process the surreal situation occurring. _What?_

"Is that so?" Robin looked skeptical, but he stepped forward and grabbed the door handles. "Well, here goes nothing..."

Again, the doors slammed open.

This time, Robin was the one standing in shock. He blinked, opening his mouth a few times, and then shook his head. "I take back my words. Frederick's the scary one. The amount of time and effort needed to loosen the tension of the hinges... no, the amount of strength needed to open and close the doors again so that they would be loose, as well as the repair work needed..."

Seeing that Robin was lost in thought, Lissa turned to me. "Do you want to try, Mark? It's _reaally _fun. Oh, but don't open them _too _hard. Last time I tried that, I tripped." She frowned. "It hurt. A lot. Especially when the doors swung back and pushed me down to the ground."

I slowly shook my head. "Er... I'll pass Lissa. Thanks for the offer though."

She shrugged. "If you say so."

The doors had swung shut again while we were talking _(wow, those doors are quiet)_ so Lissa threw them open again and walked inside the mansi- the Shepherd's garrison.

Still a bit shocked at both the garrison itself as well as the impossibly smooth door hinges, I followed her without hesitation. In a moment, Robin did the same.

The inside of the mansion was just as impressive as the outside. We stepped into the main hall, a room that looked more like a ballroom in a Disney movie than a hall, and I turned my head, examining my surroundings.

Another set of double doors stood in front of us, across the plaza, or whatever you called the wide, marbled floor in the center. To the immediate left and right were a matching set of stairwells, winding along the wooden walls and leading to a second floor. Directly above the second set of double doors, there was a balcony, behind which was a long hallway filled with doors. Probably bedrooms, judging from my vague recollection of similar buildings in video games.

"Lissa darling, is that you?"

A regal sounding voice drifted towards from above. I looked towards it to see a woman step out from one of the rooms on the second level.

The woman had long blonde hair, but it was kept in curls that must have taken ages to style. Though it wasn't the outfit I remembered once seeing her in, the Victorian-era themed attire definitely suited her.

_So that's Maribelle, huh? She definitely looks like a noblewoman. _

Her gaze settled for a moment on Robin and I, turning frigid in an instant. When she saw Lissa though, that icy mask faded, and turned into genuine happiness and then concern.

She was down the stairs in a flash, as fast as she could while still keeping a regal demeanor, and then wrapped Lissa in a tight embrace. "Oh I was so worried!"

Lissa smiled. "Nice to see you too, Maribelle!"

Maribelle took a step back, and then fixed Lissa with a stern gaze. "I still cannot believe you! Patrolling with your brother, why I counted a dozen new gray hairs just from that alone!"

"You worry too much!" Lissa shook her head, though her smile never left her face. "I was fine! Well, it was a little scary when all those monsters came after me, but Robin took care of that! ...Though Mark's a reckless idiot for trying to play the hero and staying behind so that Robin could come save me."

That last sentence was muttered, and I only barely heard it. Seeing as I'd only lose face if I responded, I pretended I didn't.

Maribelle raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And might these Robin and Mark be the two standing behind you, darling?"

"Yep!" Lissa turned back towards us. "The smart looking guy with white hair is Robin..."

Robin gave Maribelle a small bow. "A pleasure to meet you."

"...and that's Mark."

_Just Mark? _I sighed and nodded my head towards Maribelle. "Hello."

"Anyway," Lissa said. "These two are joining the Shepherds, so I'm going to show them around. Do you want to come along?"

Maribelle glanced at me, and then Robin, and shook her head. "While I do enjoy your company, Lissa, dear, I'm afraid that I have... obligations to attend to."

With only that as an explanation, Maribelle stepped away from Lissa and walked past us, towards the entrance of the garrison, every bit the noblewoman she was. Well, except for the harsh glare she was sending me and Robin.

Robin turned towards Lissa. "...Did we do something to slight her? Your friend didn't seem very happy to see us."

"She probably just doesn't get along well with new people," I said.

Lissa nodded. "Maribelle's a bit... touchy, but she's a nice person!" She frowned. "It just might take some time for her to get used to the two of you."

Robin sighed. "If you say so..."

"So," I said. "You were going to show us around, Lissa?"

_There it is again!_ For a second, I swore that Lissa's eyes brightened and flashed like stars. Could it have been magic? Divine heritage? Just what-

"Oh! That's right!" She grabbed my arm again and started pulling me away. "You have _got_ to see the training grounds, Mark. It's so pretty, and sunny! Well, except for when it rains. And when Chrom and Vaike decide to spar, but every other time-"

"Lissa, I can walk by myself you know..."

She didn't hear me. Or if she did, she chose to ignore me. "And then after that we can go to the kitchen. Frederick's a great cook whenever he's not cooking stinky smelly bear meat, and there's lots of candy we can eat! Ooh, and then there's the library, and-"

I glanced towards Robin. "Help?" I mouthed.

To my dismay, the tactician only shook his head, his face set in that smug smirk of his. "You're own your own," he mouthed back.

_That traitor! When Tharja joins, I'm going to-_

"Hey, are you listening Mark?"

I sighed. "Yes, Lissa. I'm listening."

She nodded and continued telling stories about the garrison. Robin followed behind us, seemingly forgotten by the Exalt's younger sister.

I didn't forget about him though. How could I, when he was barely containing his laughter the entire time?

_...Maybe I shouldn't have started a support with Lissa... _

xxx

During our tour of the mansion/garrison, we met most of the other Shepherds. Virion had been his dramatic self, and was in the library reading a book when we got there. Stahl and Sully had been in the kitchen, both eating. I hadn't seen Ricken or Sumia, but the former was probably helping Maribelle with whatever she was doing and the latter was probably wherever Chrom was. I hadn't seen Vaike either, but the guy was probably out doing some training or something.

After all of that, Lissa finally brought us to the training grounds.

Once again, my image of the place was completely debunked. For one, the grounds were more of a large park than a gym, like I imagined. Then again, I should have expected that, considering that Sully, Stahl, and Frederick fought on horseback. You would need a lot of room to practice that.

A lot of training dummies were set up around the area (which was a large grassy field for the most part) and looked to be pretty worn down. They weren't broken though, so that spoke a lot about their durability, especially if training was done with live weapons instead of wooden ones.

It looked like Chrom had arrived sometime during our tour of the place, since he was currently sparring with Vaike. At least I thought so. Who else had blonde hair and walked around without a shirt on?

Vaike charged, a wooden axe _(oh, so they use those after all)_ cutting through the air in a heavy slash-

"My turn!"

-which Chrom easily dodged by stepping to the side. In the next moment, his own wooden weapon smacked Vaike in his stomach and sent the muscular blonde reeling back.

Chrom didn't let him recover and used Vaike's disorientation to sweep his legs from under him. The scene after that looked pretty much like a typical duel finish, with Chrom standing with a foot on Vaike's chest and the wooden sword pointed at his throat.

_...Holy crap._ I hadn't actually seen Chrom fight until now. It looked like the Lord didn't mess around. That counter had been brutal.

Hesitant applause. Looking towards it, I saw Sumia standing off to the side.

_So that's where she was._

Chrom stepped back from Vaike and helped the guy to his feet.

"Chrom!" Lissa waved and again dragged me with her.

A glance back at Robin showed that he was still leaving me to my plight, enjoying my suffering like the sadistic bastard he was.

_...Huh. There's a thought. _Maybe that was why Tharja had been attracted to him. The powerful inner darkness/being an Avatar of Grima and all probably played a role in that.

Thankfully, Chrom wasn't anything like the sadistic tactician and helped me out. "Lissa," he said in a stern voice. "Why are you dragging Mark around like he's one of your stuffed animals? He's a person, not a toy."

Lissa frowned and grudgingly let go of my arm.

I didn't waste any time getting away from the overly excited blonde and moved to Chrom's side, rubbing my arm to get some feeling back in it. "Thanks..."

Chrom nodded, and then turned his attention back to Lissa. "How many times do I have to tell you to be more tactful, Lissa? Just because you're a princess-"

"I know Chrom, I know! Hmph." Lissa crossed her arms and then turned her attention towards Robin.

Unfortunately for me, Robin was quicker to the draw then I had been and moved before Lissa could drag him along to whatever exploits she had in mind. All the while making it look perfectly natural and planned.

_Note to self. Learn dark magic at the earliest opportunity so that you can curse the living daylights out of Robin. Ask Tharja if all else fails._

"So Chrom," Robin said. "How did the war council go? Does the Exalt have any plans on how to deal with those undead monsters?"

Seeing that she was being ignored, Lissa let out a big huff and turned on her heel, heading back into the mansion. Er, garrison.

Vaike brushed some dirt off his clothes and then said, "Oi, Captain. Who're those two?"

"Hm? Ah, you probably haven't been introduced yet. These two are the newest members of the Shepherds, Robin and Mark."

"Robin and Mark, huh?" Vaike eyed the two of us. "Whitey over there looks pretty tough, but I dunno about the other guy..."

I blinked. _What's with these people and just writing me off like that?_

"Heh, don't worry!" Vaike gave me a broad grin and pounded his chest. "Teach here will teach you everything you need to know!"

Chrom gave him a dismissive wave. "Don't worry about him, Mark. Vaike's a bit... strange-"

"HEY!"

"-But he's a good guy. Ah, and that's Sumia over there." He turned towards her and gestured for her to come closer. "Sumia!"

I could clearly recall what happened next. It was like the whole scene happened in slow motion, with each frame moved forward piece by piece.

Sumia turned, her face flushed red at being called by Chrom. She was startled and flinched a bit, but then broke out into a sprint, one fueled with nervous energy and embarrassment. She made it halfway towards us when she just... tripped. There wasn't a rock or anything, nor was there uneven ground or unlaced boots to blame it on. No, she just... tripped, like the ground was pulled out from underneath her.

A loud crash, and then a few pained whimpers.

"Er... are you alright?"

That was Robin. He looked about as stunned as I felt, and was probably trying to make sense of what just happened. Most likely by various calculations and number crunching. From his expression, it seemed like they didn't add up.

Chrom sighed and walked over to Sumia. "This is the second time today, Sumia. Are you sure you don't want to-"

"I'm fine!"

She jumped to her feet. Unfortunately, Chrom was leaning over her, and was about to help her up.

Their heads crashed into each other, and Chrom was sent reeling back, clutching his chin.

"Owowow..." Sumia clutched her forehead, falling back to the ground after the collision.

Vaike let out a booming laugh, but Chrom's glare quieted him down. Still didn't wipe the smirk off the blonde's face though.

I shook my head and helped Sumia up, since no one else was going to do it.

Of course, Robin would choose that time to talk. "So first the Exalt, Lissa, and now a girl you just met? Mark, you sure work fast..."

I let go of Sumia's hand the moment she was back on her feet and glared at Robin. "How many times do I have to tell you and Lissa? I am not a-"

"What's this about Emm and Lissa, Mark?"

I let out a long suffering sigh. "Just... never mind."

Chrom gave me a strange look, but then introduced me and Robin to Sumia as well.

After that, we all headed back to the kitchen, or dining hall.

xxx

I flopped down onto my feathery bed. It had been a grueling experience having dinner with the Shepherds. It also turned out that I had forgotten more than I remembered about the game, since I completely forgot about Kellam and Miriel. Now Kellam I could understand, since that guy legitimately faded into the background if you weren't focused on him, but Miriel? The eccentric and scarily intelligent mage?

I sighed. _Just what am I doing here?_

I doubted I could help them. Sure, I had been all for the heroics against the Risen earlier, and I wanted to protect them, but I was next to useless. It was clear that my 'future' knowledge was spotty at best, completely flawed at worst. And it had only been my Runesword _(just how and where did I get this thing anyway?)_ that kept me alive. I could barely protect myself. Just how on Earth was I going to protect the Shepherds?

I sat up and looked around the room that had been assigned to me. Like the rest of the Shepherd's garrison, it was extravagant and spacious. Big enough to fit at least a dozen king sized beds with room to spare for some wardrobes and book shelves.

My room had a window overlooking the training grounds, with a desk conveniently placed next to it. From the orange light filtering in, the day was close to an end.

And tomorrow we would march to Regna Ferox. Regna Ferox, where we would have to fight in a tournament to get Flavia's aid. Regna Ferox, where we would be unable to help when Gangrel made his move and Maribelle was captured... at least that's what I could remember. The details escaped me, and that was irritating.

I _knew_ what would happen, but not when, how, or why. The overarching plot was clear, as well as the major plot points, but the game was never clear on the timeline. Not only that, but I wasn't sure how much my presence would change.

Was I in the first timeline? Did I have a kid in the future who would be travelling back in time? Or was I only present in this timeline?

Judging from Lucina calling my 'Uncle Mark', it would seem that I was in her timeline. And did that mean I married Lissa? Not that she wasn't attractive or anything, but I couldn't see myself being with her... especially after seeing how clingy she was. If anything, she seemed more like an overly-attached younger sister. Granted, I didn't have any sisters, so I didn't really know how that worked.

And then there was the fact that I wasn't panicking about leaving behind my family and friends back at home. People I cared about and who would surely be panicking about my absence... and also people who I couldn't remember the names of, nor their faces.

"What the hell...?"

Wait. That wasn't right. I had remembered who they were yesterday, so why...?

I blinked.

I couldn't remember.

I had brothers. I knew that much. I was the eldest. But how many did I have? And how old was I?

What was my life like? Who did I care about?

A chilling sensation, and an uncomfortable gnawing in my chest. Anxiety, slowly creeping in.

I got out of the bed. There had been a journal on the desk, and a quill beside it. A bottle of ink was there as well.

I opened it. Blank. Good.

I picked up the quill and dipped it in a fluid motion _(how did I do that?! I've never used one!)_ and began writing. Anything, everything I could remember about my life.

The eldest son. A writer. A student. Programming. Composer.

I stared at the page before me.

Blank, save for those words.

I didn't know who I was _(anxietyworrypaindoubt)_.

Breathe.

"Okay... so you don't know who you are."

My voice was the same as it always had been. A glance at the mirror in the room showed my face staring back at me, brown eyes, black hair and all. That was famili-

_Brown hair. Green eyes. A different face that was familiar, and yet wasn't. Strategies. Tactics. Trying and failing to save someone he lost. Master of time. Fighting with reckless abandon. Distant, aloof. Ruthless, and ingenious. One who had lost everything too many times to count._

I scrambled back, rolling onto the ground in my haste.

"What. The. Hell."

That wasn't me. It wasn't, and yet it _was_.

What the hell?

A knock on my door. Robin's voice. "Mark? Are you alright? I heard a crash."

Right. He had the room opposite of mine.

Focus.

"I'm... I'm fine. Just surprised by something, that's all."

Mark. Right. That was what that memory was. It was of Mark, the tactician I had written for my old Fire Emblem fanfiction, _Scattered Memories._ Not me.

The door opened, and Robin appeared at the doorstep. He saw me sitting there on the floor and said, "Er... did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, no. I'm fine."

I got to my feet. I could think about who I was _(A man with silver hair, one who gave up everything for a miracle to save them-)_ later.

Robin gave me an odd look and then nodded. "If you say so."

"Did... you need something, Robin? Or did you just come in to check on me?"

"Yes, I did actually."

He closed the door and entered my room. He gestured towards the fallen chair near me and said, "May I?"

I lifted the chair and handed it to him. "Go ahead." Not like it helped me any.

He nodded in thanks and took a seat.

I walked over to my bed and sat down there.

"So what did you want, Robin?"

He hesitated, and then said, "How do you know me?"

I blinked. _Huh?_

"I know I asked you before, and I know what happened. There has to be a reason for why you were bound to not tell me who I am, but at the least you can-"

I held up my hand. "Hold on. You want to know how we met, and not who you are?"

He nodded. "I don't want you to hurt yourself trying to tell me who I am, but at the least you can say how we met, right?"

"Er..." I scratched the back of my head. "We haven't actually met before now..."

This time Robin was the one to blink. "Huh? But you knew my name before I introduced myself. And you said something about me being a strategist..." He trailed off, as if lost in thought.

"How should I put this..."

I couldn't really tell him that I had met him by playing Fire Emblem Awakening, now could I? Then again, I didn't really want to lie to him either, especially since he had been genuinely concerned for my safety.

I decided to bite the bullet and tell him the truth, or as close a version to it as I could. "We met in another lifetime, similar to this. But at that time, you were the only one who joined the Shepherds."

I waited for his response, deciding to choose my next words based on his reaction.

"The only one to join the Shepherds? Another lifetime...?" Robin's eyes widened. "That dream-"

"Dream?"

Robin nodded. "When I first met Chrom, I had a dream. No... it was more a nightmare. I don't remember all the details, but..."

_Ah, the premonition._

"Yes, I-"

He frowned and interrupted me. "But... you were there too. Yes, you were there. I remember now. You were there, and I..."

_Hold on. I was there? That's not right..._

He suddenly paled.

"I killed Chrom. And you... you killed me. I... I remember now." He slumped back in his seat, suddenly all too weary. "The Awakening... the battle against Validar. Everyone..."

I blinked. This _definitely_ wasn't how I remembered things going. Robin regaining memories of the future? That shouldn't happen.

"No." Robin suddenly straightened. "That won't happen this time." He turned towards me, his gaze suddenly intense. "You did it, didn't you, Mark? That ritual where you-"

"Er, hold on." I could honestly say that I was confused. "... I did what?"

Robin frowned. "You... don't remember?"

I shook my head, too shocked to say anything.

"But they why did you... Ah. So that's why you had acted so strange... it makes sense now. You're an Outrealmer, aren't you?"

"Er..."

Robin nodded. "Yes, that explains it. I always did wonder how you summoned the Einherjar and pulled out all those legendary weapons. It looks like you can't do that yet though, otherwise back then..."

"I don't-"

Robin suddenly grabbed my hand, eyes blazing with determination. "We'll save them. Between the two of us, we can make sure no one dies."

"Well. I guess... that makes things easier?"

He nodded again. "Now, let's compare notes. I'm sure there'll be some differences, especially if you brought the children back like you planned to, but overall..."

I sighed, seeing that he wasn't going to give up on this.

_No going back now. Goodbye canon..._

"Well, from what I remember..."

* * *

A/N: Huh. I didn't plan on things ending up like they did in this chapter, but i can't say that I mind how it did either. Robin remembering the events in Lucina's timeline. 'Me' remembering the events in the game's timeline. Lucina traveling back in time to change things.

This is going to be... interesting, to say the least. Anyway, hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it. I'll be back with more whenever I finish it. Next up, to Regna Fox! ...And an OP Robin blasting the Risen to bits.


	5. Diplomatic Force

Chapter 4: Diplomatic Force

* * *

So it turned out that I _was_ in the Future Past. The problem was, I had been... different.

Robin and I had spent the night going over what we should do for the future, and the first part of that had been comparing our knowledge of the timeline, as well as what we knew about the Shepherds in general.

Apparently, when I met Robin and Chrom, I had been an Ylissean knight with no memories save my name and a desire to protect the Exalt. Because of that, I managed to prevent Emmeryn's assassination by Validar, as well as get close to Chrom and Lissa by association.

In the end though, it seemed that the events unfolded the same as they had in the game, despite my presence in the future. Robin had still been amnesiac, Emmeryn still died, and Chrom was still killed.

While Robin could remember the future, his memory was still blurry, like mine. Between the two of us, we managed to remember the major events, like Ylisstol falling, the war with Gangrel, the war with Walhart, and then Robin's possession by Grima, but other things we weren't sure of. Since Robin had memories of the Future Past, he didn't know about the event that would change as a result of Lucina and the others coming to the past.

All in all, it was a major headache for the two of us, since he mentioned things I didn't remember, and I mentioned things _he_ didn't remember.

We ended up with a plan of action though... of sorts.

First off, there wasn't much we could change until Maribelle was captured. I was loathe to put her in danger (even if she was a bit stuck up) because there were too many variables at play. Gangrel might decide to just kill her this time and be done with it, considering how close he had been last time.

...But in the end that was a risk we had to take.

I let out a groan and pressed my head against the window.

It was morning, but I couldn't sleep yesterday anyway. _This is exactly why I would never wish to be in a self-insert_. A single variable changed far too much. And even though I knew the future, even though I had someone from the literal future of this time on my side, there were still too many things that could go wrong, too many things unclear.

First of all, how did Robin's memories get sent back in time?

Why was Lucina surprised to see me?

Who and where was Grima in this time period?

And most importantly of all... did I have a kid in the future? And did I manage to live long enough to see him or her return to the past?

Those were the most important things to know, and yet Robin didn't have that information. It seemed that his miraculous recovery of his memories only applied to major events, not the 'minor' details like that, and who got together with who.

All he knew was the vague timeline of events, and that I had planned to perform some ritual to send all of the children back in time through the Outrealm Gate at the Ruins of Time, since Naga had refused to aid the entire Exalted line for some reason.

"...I need to hit something."

I glanced down at the training dummies in the courtyard. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, and the air was still cool, judging from the nice and cold feeling of the window on my forehead.

"...That'll do."'

xxx

I reached the training grounds undisturbed. It seemed like the rest of the Shepherds wanted to catch up on sleep before the long journey, so no one was up today.

The training dummies had been set up in an area of the grounds where the terrain was flat dirt. While a bit dangerous due to the tripping hazard of loose dirt, it was better than the dew-covered grass at least.

I raised the wooden sword I'd grabbed along the way and aimed it at the dummy. I didn't bother with any stance, any semblance of formal training. All I wanted to do was...

"Hah!"

A solid hit on the dummy's head, the force reverberating up the wooden sword and into my arm.

I scowled. There wasn't even any sign of damage on the dummy.

_Unacceptable._

I brought my sword around for another attack, diagonal. Another solid hit, but again no signs of damage. Instead, it was my arm that was feeling the force, those two attacks already making it numb.

_Useless._

I wasn't anywhere near the amount of force and speed that I'd seen the others attack with. I'd managed to fight the Risen, but that had been by using my life as bait.

Luck. That was the only reason I was alive. Looking back, there were far too many ways that I could have died. At this rate, I would die before making a difference. Even if Robin was a brilliant tactician and strategist, he was counting on me to help him save everyone.

I ground my teeth and hit the dummy with a two-handed strike, putting all of my frustration into the blow. A loud _crack_, and my arms went numb.

Still, no damage. Both the wooden sword and the dummy were unmarked, in the same state as they had been when I started off.

"Damn..."

I was out of my depth. I had no experience in actual combat, strategy, or preventing deaths by changing the future. All of those self-insert stories made it seem so easy. Just go with the flow and things will work out, for better or for worse. But there were so many things that could go wrong, so many ways that they could die-

"You are up early, Mark."

I jumped and spun around, my sword at the ready. I relaxed when I saw who it was.

Frederick raised an eyebrow. "Slow. I could have killed you where you stand five times over in the time it took for you to turn around."

I scoffed. "Of course. I'm well aware of how weak I am, Sir Frederick."

Weak, and a fake. I was just a normal person playing at a role I couldn't fill. Even if Robin remembered me as someone that could stand side by side with him and Chrom, I was still far from reaching that level. To begin with, I didn't even know how to summon the Einherjar or access the Outrealm like my 'other' self had done.

Which was ironic, considering I had acted as another recruitable character in the Future Past while here I was well aware of my role as an 'Outrealmer'.

Frederick was quiet for a moment, and then charged towards me, a wooden sword suddenly in hand.

I couldn't react. _Fast!_

The sound of wood hitting wood.

I blinked. _I... blocked it?_

Frederick stepped back. "Good. So you possess some skill after all."

The knight's words snapped me out of my surprise. "What was that for?"

Frederick smiled. "Despite my misgivings, both my liege and milady Lissa have placed their trust in you. As your death would trouble them, it is my duty to... reprimand you for your suicidal tendencies in combat. Now, on your guard!"

With those words, Frederick attacked again, this time at a speed I couldn't even begin to follow. _Is it even possible to move that fast?!_

Thus began my first encounter with Frederick's Fitness Hour.

xxx

I arrived at the kitchen with aches all over my body and my arms numb.

"You are quite impressive, Mark. Why, I even had to use half my strength in our last bout!"

"...Shut up Frederick."

It was breakfast time now. We'd be marching to Regna Ferox after we ate.

Frederick gave me his usual small smile. "I am quite sincere in my praise, Mark. For one as green as you to improve so rapidly is nothing short of a miracle."

Ah, right. Frederick had managed to figure out that I was new to fighting during his trademarked 'Frederick Fitness Hour'. While he didn't teach me anything, something about our styles of combat being too dissimilar, he did ingrain a healthy understanding of the importance of dodging.

I sighed and sat down at the nearest chair, not even paying attention to who else was at the table.

"Hm? Oh, morning Mark!"

I froze. _Of all the people..._

"...Morning Lissa."

The princess was in the seat next to me, munching on some toast. "So, you excited? I can hardly wait! We're going to go to Regna Ferox! Well, it might be boring considering how far it is, but at least it'll be fun, right? I mean with so many of us going it'll be like one big vacation!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, not appreciating the budding headache that was adding to the pain I already felt.

Frederick took a seat opposite me and spoke to Lissa. "I'm afraid it will not be as fun as you believe it to be, milady. We will be acting as a diplomatic group, not travelers."

Lissa frowned. "So? Just because we're going to do business stuff doesn't mean we can't have fun."

Frederick smiled. "Indeed. This knight is gladdened that milady finally appreciates the benefit of long marches."

Those words caused Lissa to pale. It looked like she hadn't thought about that at all.

"Er..."

A blur of white hair and a dark cloak in the corner of my eye. Robin sat down next to Frederick, carrying two plates. "Morning, everyone. And here, Mark."

I took the offered plate from Robin (some toast, eggs, and sausages), though I was mildly disturbed at his level of preparation. I had just come in through the door, after all.

"Thanks."

I wondered what he was getting at... unless he was just here to talk? Robin was always a friendly sorta guy, judging from his many, many support conversations. Probably had to do with his whole ideology of 'invisible ties'.

I shrugged it off and started eating. I was sore, tired, and not really in the mood for much thinking.

Before I knew it, we were on the move, the time passing by in a blur with my fatigue.

It was bright out, with clear blue skies. We were traveling on the North Road, following its beaten trail towards the inevitable destination of Regna Ferox.

Maribelle, Ricken, Sully, and Virion had all stayed behind. The former two would be staying behind because Maribelle had some 'Noble duty' or something, while Ricken was still too young. As for Sully and Virion, well the red knight was the only one that could keep the 'Archest of Archers' in line, and Chrom wanted to leave at least one competent person behind while we were all off being diplomatic.

...On foot.

I sighed. You would think that we'd get horses or something considering how time was of the essence, but it turned out that the only ones who would be riding those would be Frederick and Stahl. The other few horses we had were used to bring along the convoy and whatever supplies we needed for the long haul.

"You alright, Mark?"

That was Chrom. It looked like he'd snuck by my side without me noticing.

"I'm fine."

The Lord raised an eyebrow. "You don't look 'fine' to me. Are you sure you're up to the march?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... Frederick."

He blinked, confused at my seeming non sequitur, and then he cringed. "Ah... I take it you were introduced to his Fitness Hour then."

I nodded.

Chrom gave me a small smile. "It gets... better, after a while. But maybe you should head back and get some rest-"

He suddenly stopped talking, his attention focused on something up ahead, and then he said, "By the Gods... the Risen have spread this far?"

I let out a sigh and drew my sword.

It was an odd contrast, the scene that had occurred. About two dozen Risen littered the road in front of us, wandering aimlessly like... zombies. _Huh. That's a thought._ Maybe with Robin suddenly remembering his memories, Grima was indisposed. And maybe we wouldn't have to fight super powered undead monstrosities from the future!

Of course that would be far too easy.

Almost as soon as I had that hopeful thought, the Risen jerked, like an invisible puppet master pulled on their strings. Suddenly on guard, they turned as one, weapons raised and prepared for combat.

Chrom drew the Falchion and took up a combat stance. "I don't like the look of these odds... Robin!" He tilted his head back, obviously waiting for the tactician's orders.

"Thoron!"

_What?_

That thought was all I had time for before half of the walking dead were vaporized by an overpowered lightning spell.

I blinked, clearing the dots from my eyes, and then turned around to send a glare at Robin.

The tactician tossed a book to the side, probably his thunder tome, and then drew a sword. Strangely enough, it wasn't the bronze sword that I remembered him having, but a different one with a golden hilt with blue and red highlights. Its blade tapered off to a point, and there was a glowing red jewel set in the center of the guard sword's guard-

And then it was gone, replaced by the bronze sword I remembered him using.

"Chrom, with me! Mark, guard Lissa! Everyone else, pair up and stick to the trees!"

I shook my head. The fatigue was probably getting to me... _Hold on. Did he say to guard Lissa? That sneaky-_

Before I could finish cursing out our dastardly tactician and his manipulative ways, there was a blur of yellow at my side, and then a vice grip on my left arm.

I sighed. "Lissa, would you kindly let go?"

"Not until you promise not to do anything dumb!"

I felt another headache coming along. Strange, considering I usually never got those. "You do realize that if you hold onto me like that, we're both likely to die when a Risen sneaks up on us, right?"

She tensed for a moment, and then shook her head. "Nah. You'll protect me. So, are you going to promise, or not?"

_Naga, Grima, or whatever power responsible for this. I hate you. I hate you with a vehemence that even All the Evils of the World would be hard-pressed to match, and I swear that the moment I find out who you are, I'm going to-_

Robin's stern voice cut off my thoughts. "Mark! Stop fooling around!"

I opened my mouth, fully intending on protesting his decision to place me with Lissa and demanding the impossible when he interrupted me again. "Three mages! To your left!"

My eyes grew wide as I saw a trio of fireballs, large and blistering with heat, surge towards us.

A brief glance around showed that all the others had left us behind, charging ahead to fight the Risen. Even Robin, who had given me that order, was nowhere nearby.

A mild sense of panic. "Dammit Lissa, let go already!"

"Not until you promise!"

This was bad. Bad, bad, bad. There wasn't anyone around to help us. The Risen mages were already chanting another spell. Lissa was preventing me from drawing the attention of the Risen so that I could take them out. And there was that headache again, the budding pain in my head turning into feeling like a nail being driven into my skull-

Fire, moments away from turning me and Lissa into crispy dust on the ground.

"Just _go away!_"

Irritation, pain, and anger. Without thinking it, I swung the Runesword at the fireballs.

A wave of black light, and dark malevolence. In an instant, the fire was gone, and I was feeling a lot better about myself. In fact, all the pain and fatigue I was feeling was gone too.

I felt Lissa let go of my arm and step back, then heard her say, "Whoa."

I followed her gaze and- "Whoa."

It was a good thing that all of the others had gone on ahead. The ground, grass, and pretty much everything in front of me up until where the three Risen mages had been standing had been turned to dust. Gray, lifeless... it was like all of the life had been sucked out of it.

"...That's scary."

I could only nod at Lissa's words.

"By the Gods..." Chrom walked towards us, his eyes wide as he glanced at the desolate area. It looked like the battle was over already. Then again, if Robin could use Thoron out of the blue like that with just a Thunder Tome after recovering his memories, it really wasn't surprising.

Chrom shook his head. "First, Robin, and now you, Mark? Did the two of you decide to buy a chest full of Spirit Dust late last night and inhale it all?"

I blinked. "...You inhale Spirit Dust?" That was... mildly disturbing. I'd always thought it was just sprinkled over your body...

"Well... no," Chrom said. "But how else do you explain... that?" He gestured towards the streak of gray now covering the North Road.

"Er... pent up negative energy being released in an explosive manner?"

"Oh!" Lissa tapped herself on the head. "I forgot to cleanse your wounds of dark magic, didn't I?"

"Lissa..." Chrom looked like he was about to lecture his younger sister again, but then he sighed and shook his head. "...Let's just get going. The Gods know we've cleared out the Risen for miles around now..."

I blinked again. _Well... that happened?_

xxx

After that brief skirmish, we were on the move once more. I was surprisingly refreshed from the battle (if it could be called that considering how short it was) and felt pretty good.

Without any immediate threats, the march was pretty relaxing. As longtime friends for the most part, the Shepherds were milling about, shifting from place to place and talking with one another.

Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick.

Stahl, Sumia, and Vaike.

Miriel, Robin, and me.

That was all of us, the diplomatic force sent to Regna Ferox to request aid-

"Hi."

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the unfamiliar voice. A swift glance around my surroundings didn't reveal any enemies, and I didn't hear the unearthly moaning of the Risen. So why... oh.

"Huh. I'd heard that you were hard to see, Kellam, but I didn't think that was true."

The clanking of armor, and then Kellam said, "I don't mind. Sometimes, even the Captain forgets about me. I've gotten used to it."

Now that I was focused on him, I could see the quiet knight. Dark hair, slightly curly, in bangs. Eyes hidden beneath an almost closed gaze. A large frame, tall and towering. The type that was made even more intimidating by the armor he was wearing.

It should have been impossible to miss him. Yet, even as I was looking at him, his form was... shimmering. No, that wasn't right. It was like... like my eyes were sliding off his form. Like when you stared at a white fan against a white ceiling, and eventually the fan just fades away as your eyes lose focus.

A strange thought occurred, and I couldn't help voicing it. "Tell me, Kellam. Are you a wizard?"

Silence, and then, "Wait... you can see me?"

It was really a lot like a 'notice me not' charm was described to be in the Harry Potter fanfics I had read... _Nah. That's just silly._

"You can, can't you? You're actually looking at my face... huh. That's a first."

I blinked. Someone was supposed to be standing there...

A sigh. "Or... not."

Something about a 'notice me not' charm... ah. Right. Those didn't actually exist. Just a convenient plot device created by fanfiction writers and made head canon, even though it was really fanon-

I stumbled as a towering suit of armor appeared at my side. No, not a suit of armor. _What was I doing again?_

"Just what do I have to do to get people to notice me around here?"

I blinked. _Kellam. Right. I had been talking to Kellam. Wow. That's some scary presence concealment there._

"You know," I said, making sure to keep my gaze on the knight's face. "You'd make a great thief or assassin, Kel- aaand he's gone."

A slightly frustrated voice. "I'm still here."

I flinched as he appeared in my field of vision yet again. _That's seriously disconcerting._

"I'd assume it is."

_Did I say that out loud?_

"Yes." Another sigh, but the words weren't quite so irritated. "But I appreciate the effort."

I blinked. "...Are you sure you're not a wizard?"

It had to be Legilimency. Some passive memory erasure spell or another. I'd never had memory lapses like that before, and it wasn't just a simple case of...

_What was I thinking about again?_

A sigh, and then someone said, "And he forgot about me again. Hm... maybe I should look into that. Being a wizard might get people to notice me..."

Was it a sigh I heard? _Maybe it was just the wind..._

I shook my head and doubled my pace. Maybe the exercise would help clear my foggy head.

xxx

After some more marching, we came across a wounded Pegasus. Sumia offered to stay behind and take care of it, like I remembered, and we carried on without her.

And then there was more marching. Grassy plains, dirt paths... and then finally snowy fields and a stone fortress appeared before us.

I'd be relieved, if not for the fact that Lissa was still clinging to my side.

"...How many more times do I have to say it, Lissa? Let go of my arm already."

"N-n-no! Y-y-you still di-didn't promise!"

I closed my eyes and let out a breath. _Really shouldn't have started a support with Lissa. _Maybe I could distract her with Lon'qu when he joins. The gynophobic swordsman should be more interesting to the blonde than me. And if he wasn't...

_I'll murder the innocent. Enough to become an anti-hero. Then, in all of the parallel universe that exist, in one of the Heaven's Feel Ritual, I'll continue to murder the innocent. Then, when all of the world around me has become a mountain of dead, I'll obtain that blood-soaked cup and force whoever was responsible for this into a male form, if he wasn't already. Then, I'll-_

"So this is the Longfort."

Robin's voice cut through my haze of dark thoughts.

"Yes," Chrom said. "The- wait, you know of it?"

The tactician nodded, though his gaze never shifted from the fort. "I'm... familiar with it."

Chattering teeth from beside me drew my attention back to Lissa, who still adamantly refused to let go of my arm.

I sighed. "Fine, Lissa. I promise not to do anything reckless anymore. Now will you please let go and head to the convoy so you won't freeze to death?"

"B-but i-it's so f-far..."

I sighed again and handed her my cloak. "Fine. Here."

_Stupid hero complex and good guy attitude._

Lissa was quiet the rest of the way there, either stunned by my gratitude or just too cold to talk, I wasn't sure. But in any case, we arrived at the towering gates, with the wind blowing and snowflakes billowing.

"Halt! Who goes there?!"

A severe blond woman in knight armor called out from above. Already, I could see guards mobilizing from across the tops of the fort, spears being readied.

I grabbed my sword. _Here we go..._

Robin should be aware of what would happen here. And since there hadn't been too many changes this early in the timeline, things would play out about the same.

Chrom's attempt at diplomacy. "In the name of House Ylisse, I seek audience with the khans!"

Her retort, and Frederick's attempt at negotiations. And then...

"You think you are the first 'Ylisseans' to try and cross our border?"

I saw more movement from above, and the glint of drawn steel.

The woman shook her head, and glared at Chrom. "I have the authority to fell such imposters-"

"You call us brigands, and now imposters?"

-And there was Robin's play.

The white-haired tactician stepped past Chrom, his face set in an expression that proved why he was the Avatar of Grima in the Future Past.

"Milord carries the Exalted Falchion itself, bears the Exalted Brand upon his very shoulder, and you _dare to call us imposters?_"

Robin's voice distorted, for a moment sounding just as I imagined Grima's would sound like. And then he raised his hand, a thunder spell already sparking at his fingertips. "We seek audience with your Khans, gatekeeper, and we cannot wait. It is a matter of life and death, and if you would bar our way..."

A moment of tension, one where Chrom looked like he wanted to grab Robin by the neck and demand to know what he was thinking. Where it seemed that steel would be the only key to reaching the inner realms of Regna Ferox.

Then the blonde woman smiled. "Very well."

The gates opened, and a guard emerged to lead us inside.

"...Well I'll be damned." I muttered. "I guess Regna Ferox really does thrive on strength and force over diplomacy."

Now we just had to win a tournament against Lucina, rush back to Ylisse and save Maribelle, save Emmeryn, beat Gangrel, beat Walhart, and then somehow kill Grima.

..._I should've just kept sleeping on those plains..._

* * *

Omake:

I glared at the white-haired tactician, my hand resting on the Runesword's hilt, itching to draw the cursed blade. "Why? Why did you decide to pair me up with Lissa? And I swear to all that exists, Robin, if you don't have a good answer I'll cut you down right now."

That damned smirk of his. "What, Mark? Sword hand twitching?"

I blinked. "Sword hand... twitching? Why does that sound-"

_Can't... control...!_

_Begone, fiend!_

_Hand... hungers..._

No. But... no. NO!

"ROBIN!"

The tactician easily dodged my attacks. "You're only proving my point, you know? Where else do you think Owain got his ideas?"

"Shut up! I refuse to let you ship me with Lissa!"

After a few more minutes of me attacking with righteous fury and Robin dodging like the cheap Avatar he was, I lowered my sword.

"You calmed down now, Mark?"

"Bastard."

He laughed, but then put on a serious face. "Well, if you really wanted to know why I keep pairing you with Lissa..."

I blinked. "Wait, there's actually a tactical reason for doing that? You're not just messing with me?"

Robin frowned. "I never do things without a reason, Mark. But anyway, the reason why I keep pairing you up with Lissa can be summed up in two words."

"Two words?"

He nodded, a smirk on his face. "RADIANT...!"

I raised my sword again, my patience reaching its end-

"Plot Armor."

"...What?"

"Plot Armor. It's one of your skills. Oh, and you give plus 99 to all stats."

* * *

A/N: More shenanigans in Fire Emblem Awakening! Hope that was a good read, and do leave a review if you think so. Still not sure where I'm going with this, but that's half the fun! Anyway, next time, **Twin Swords**.

Have some teaser dialogue!

"Einherjar... you mean like a Heroic Spirit?"

"That sword...?"

"I challenge my fate!"

"You... Lyn?"

_"Trace, on."_


	6. Twin Swords

Chapter 5: Twin Swords

After a long trek through the snow, we arrived at Castle Ferox. The 'official Ylissean diplomats' (Chrom, Frederick, Lissa, and Robin) followed Raimi (the blonde woman who'd been at Longfort) and went ahead to meet with the Khans in the throne room.

That left the rest of the Shepherds, including me, free to roam the castle until they were finished, which could range anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

I'd intended to use the opportunity to get to know the other Shepherds that I hadn't gotten a chance to talk to yet, but... "Of course. Leave the new guy alone by himself. Should've known that would happen."

The Shepherds were a tight-knit group. Obviously, that meant they were good friends. And when good friends were left alone in a new place without anything to do, they tended to break off into groups.

Vaike dragged Stahl along to find a combat area to spar, and Miriel had vanished somewhere with... someone. I couldn't remember who, but it was someone I'd met and who was a part of the Shepherds. She'd left with the mystery person mentioning something about 'fascinating mental erasure' effects.

That left me with... nobody.

I sighed and decided to go do some exploring. It wasn't going to be the first time we returned to Castle Ferox, so I decided that I might as well use the time to acquaint myself with the surroundings.

Contrary to Castle Ylisse, which had been brighter with marble everywhere, Castle Ferox was dim, with cold gray stone. Harsh, and yet regal in a subdued kind of way. The walls didn't shine with light, instead seeming to absorb it a bit, and the halls were dimmed in shadows.

To be honest, it seemed more like an elaborate stone fortress than a castle fit for royalty. At least that was the feel I was getting from walking around the place.

Bedrooms, stockrooms, storage places... I found a lot of those by peeking through the doors I passed by. Surprisingly, however, there weren't any people around. _Is the castle just a meeting place?_ The only guards we had seen were Raimi and those that met us outside. Could it be that this entire castle was a diversion of sorts? Or maybe Regna Ferox was so confident in their strength that they didn't care for

A sudden voice echoing through the empty halls drew me out of my thoughts. "For love and justice!"

"...Huh? For love and justice...?" I came to a sudden stop and turned my head back. I had just passed by a pair of double doors. It had seemed important, and I didn't want to act like a generic RPG protagonist with no disregard for privacy, looting through castle pots and the like, so I hadn't entered it. Even if it was already opened a crack. But now my curiosity was peaked and I took a step back, turning towards those doors.

"I am the pretty sailor suited soldier!"

I blinked. _That's... familiar. _

_"_In the name of the moon..."

I walked over to the doors and pushed them open-

"I'll punish... you?"

-and was utterly surprised. "...I have to admit, Sumia. I didn't expect to see you here."

The Pegasus knight was frozen in the middle of Sailor Moon's trademarked pose. A glance to the side showed a copy of the Sailor Moon manga _(how in the world did that get here?)_.

Sumia glanced at me, glanced at the book, and then flushed a deep red. "Th-this isn't what it looks like!"

I blinked again. First of all, there was the fact that Sumia was here in the first place, since I didn't remember seeing her get back yet. Then again, that was probably because I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Robin managed to get us out of a fight by threatening excessive fire power.

Second of all...

"What are you doing acting out a scene from a book in the middle of a foreign castle, Sumia?"

It was a bit reckless, and more than a bit confusing. Sure, the room was dusty and empty, looking like a storage room that hadn't seen the light of day for quite some time, but it was still in a place that someone could interrupt.

"W-well..."

She cast her eyes to the ground, shifting her right foot back and forth. "I... likepretendingi'mastorycharacter."

"You... like pretending you're the character of a story?"

I didn't catch all of it, since she had mumbled the last bit, but that's what it seemed she said.

With her face still red, she nodded. "It's silly, but..."

_Huh. That certainly explains Cynthia's heroic disposition. Must run in the family, I guess?_

I shook my head. "No, not really. I understand completely."

I was doing just that myself, after all, so judging her for that would be more than a bit hypocritical.

Sumia froze, and then tilted her head. "Really? You're... not kidding, are you?"

I smiled and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind me. "Of course not. I've done it a lot in the past, actually. When you come against something you can't do, I've found that it helps thinking about how a certain character would react, and use that as a model to go by."

The fact that I was doing that at the moment, albeit with a character I made myself, was left unsaid.

Even so, Sumia must have sensed my sincerity, since she relaxed a bit and picked up her manga _(seriously, just where did she get that?)_ and returned my smile. "Finally, someone who understands!"

I definitely wasn't expecting that outburst from her though.

"It's so great to pretend to be someone else, isn't it?" She sighed and clasped her hands together. "Someone beautiful, strong, heroic... it'd be great if I could be like that. Much better than plain old, clumsy Sumia."

I couldn't help but give her a wry smile at those words. "I understand completely. But you know, Sumia, it's good to pretend to be someone else... but it's even better to become them. To take the best traits of the characters you love for your own, and become greater than you were before you met."

Stories held power, that was something I knew for myself. The power to inspire, to change... to give a glimpse at something greater than yourself and leave you with brilliant aspirations.

...Of course that could have just been the fact that I was in a story myself that had me thinking that way.

Sumia's eyes lit up at those words, and I immediately had the feeling that I'd done something I'd regret later on, but before I could think about it, the door opened and a voice called out.

"Oh, there you are, Mark-" Robin cut himself off when he saw Sumia, and then smirked. "Again with the ladies? Lissa would be heartbroken if she-"

"Is there something you needed, Robin? Or did you just want to waste my time again?"

I was getting tired of the constant insinuations that I was flirting with girls. Sure, I found them all attractive, but that didn't mean I went out of my way to try to impress them or anything, like what Robin implied. The way he went on about it made me seem like... Virion.

I suppressed a shudder at that thought. Spouting poetry, an overly husky tone of voice, dramatic gestures...

"Well," Robin said, "Chrom was drafted to fight in a tournament as the East Khan's champion, and you, me, Frederick, and Lissa are going to be there to support him."

"The Captain's going to fight in a tournament?" Sumia asked.

Robin nodded. "It turns out that the Khan we met doesn't have the authority to send aid to Ylisse, so it looks like we're just going to have to get that for her."

I blinked. Robin was being awfully nonchalant about all this.

...Then again, he _was_ able to use high ranking spells from low ranking tomes because of his obscene magic level apparently...

_We might just be able to do this after all._

"Why can't we help?" Sumia frowned. "I mean... it's good to fight together, right? If Ch... if Captain's fighting, how come we can't fight too?"

Robin shrugged. "That's the rules we have to go by." With that said, he turned back to me. "The tournament's going to start soon, so unless you'd prefer spending time with the lovely Sumia here instead of warming up..."

Sumia's face turned a bright red at that comment.

_Damned Robin and that damned charming charisma of his... I swear, if this gets me into as much of a hassle as I have with Lissa..._

I sighed. "Just... lead the way already."

xxx

The arena we were to fight in was... I couldn't put into words how _epic_ it was. And I usually didn't use that word to describe things.

Screaming audience members, all itching for some excitement. Blazing torches lighting the stadium with soft orange and cloaking other portions in shadow. A huge cobbled floor with an ornate circular runic symbol of sorts in the dead center of the arena. Stone arches everywhere, like Roman Architecture of the olden days.

Before us, our enemies. Above us, the crowd and both Khans, watching with anticipation.

The battle had yet to start, but my heart was already pumping, beating like a war drum against my chest. Adrenaline already surged through my veins, giving my hands the soft tremor of excitement, my body trembling not in fear, but anticipation.

_This atmosphere is insane..._

It'd be impossible for me to keep a cool head here. There was just too much going on, too much hype, excitement, and thrill in the air for me to fight with a level head.

It would be me, Robin, Chrom, Frederick and Lissa against Lucina and whoever she had managed to get on her side. From the looks of it, our opponents seemed to all just be swordsmen. _That's different._

It was good news for us though. Good ol' Frederick would make short work of them.

"Listen up," Robin said. "Lissa, you stay behind and heal us from a distance. They don't have any ranged fighters, so you'll be safe there."

She nodded.

Robin smiled, and said, "I'll be counting on you to rescue us with your staffs when things get rough. We aren't fighting to kill, so it shouldn't come to that, but just in case..."

Lissa gave him a small smile in return. "Leave it to me!"

"Chrom, you'll be with me. Frederick and Mark... play it safe, but don't be afraid to engage. It's going to end up in a straight contest of skill, so just do your best."

Frederick nodded. "As you say, Robin."

"Gotcha," I said.

Lucina, or 'Marth' as she would still be going by, stepped forward and raised her sword against Chrom.

The distance between both sides was thirty feet, a brief sprint to reach the other end.

The roar of the crowd, and then the sound of a gong.

"Let's go!"

We charged, and the battle began.

xxx

I ran forward, my blade at my side and my heart pounding with anticipation. There was the clash of steel all around, and the sound of crackling electricity, no doubt from Robin. But all of that was filed away in the back of my mind, as I focused on the enemy rushing to meet me.

In the blink of an eye, a silver katana cut through the air in front of me, followed by a swordswoman with long green hair.

I parried the attack, only to find myself faced with another, my opponent moving so fast as to leave after-images where she moved.

_Fast._ It was far too fast for me to react. I didn't even have the time to switch into the style of fighting I had started to develop. Any openings I had were true, and there were far too many for me to even think of countering her.

Parry, dodge, block. That was the only thing I could do against the furious attack, but then-

_Pause._

Time froze. No, it was not that time froze, but rather that my mind had surpassed time. _Wait... what? _An instant eternity spanned as I rejected the reality in front of me.

I could see it all. _***'_s skill with her sword and the amount of damage she could take. Her health, strength, and speed. My mind broke down everything into simplistic numbers and calculations, and my body moved to adapt to her attacks.

_This feeling... it's not me._

A loose stance, with my sword held at my side. I knew how she fought, understood her style, range, strengths, weaknesses.

The next time her blade cut through the air, my own rose to meet it. It was her turn to be on the defensive.

A flicker of recognition and then surprise in her eyes _(a unique shade of green, like the grass on the plains...)_ and she jumped back, clearing the space between us in an instant.

"That fighting style and that sword... can it be?"

Pain, headache. My head was pounding with memories that weren't mine.

I started to say something, and then a different voice spoke, one that wasn't my own. "You... _Lyn?_"

A smile, bringing back memories of a lifetime ago _(a life not my own)_, and she nodded. "I finally found you... but now is not the time to reminisce. Come, let me show you how much I've improved over the years!"

She sheathed her sword, and then took a loose stance, standing to the side with her sword pointed away from me. But I knew that attack _(did I?)_ and did the same.

It happened in an instant, five attacks so fast that the air blurred. Five strikes parried and defended, but then I stepped forward and my sword was at her throat.

She tensed, as if she was going to continue the exchange, but then sighed and sheathed her sword. "You're the same as ever, Mark. I still can't beat you, can I? ...Fine, I yield. But don't think you can run off on me again like that! I won't forgive you if you do it again!"

I nodded _(I didn't)_ and watched as Lyn walked out of the arena.

_What the hell?_

When she was gone, it was like a fog had lifted from my mind. No... not a fog. It was more like I had woken up from a dream, one where I had been someone else, if only for a moment-

A pair of blades, white and black, cut the air in front of me, thrown with incredible force, and forced me to stop that train of thought.

Out of panicked reflex, I brought up the Runesword to block it, and managed to avoid being cut in half. That didn't stop my heart from trying to leap out of my chest though.

_Projectile weapons... bad. Remember to ask Frederick to train against them._

I looked up at the person who had attacked me and had to take a second look to be sure of who I was looking at.

It was a young man, either in his late teens or early twenties, with auburn hair set in.. not quite bangs, but close. It was ruffled, and went up in places almost like spikes, but not really.

The deflected blades swept through the air and back towards the man, who caught them with a fluid ease. Armed once more, he lowered his blades into a relaxed stance.

Familiar. There was something about his face, something about that stance... and then there were his blades. They were nothing like any swords I had seen here, or in Fire Emblem. Twin curved swords, black and white, patterned like yin and yang, that would return once thrown. I only knew of one pair of blades like those, and the one who wielded them.

_Those swords... no way. First Lyn, and now..._

I tightened the grasp around my sword. "...Who are you?"

It couldn't be... right? I was in Fire Emblem Awakening, in Ylisse. But then, if this place existed, who could say that other 'fictional' worlds didn't exist as well?

The man was silent, and I saw a hint of some unreadable emotion in his amber eyes, but then he said, "Shirou. Emiya Shirou."

And then he attacked, leaving no more room for discussion.

Up, down, left, right. Double arcs, cutting diagonally in both directions.

I realized for the first time the difficulties of fighting someone genuinely trained in dual-wielding.

It was impossible for me to approach. Even if I had the Runesword to heal me when I got injured, that only worked if I managed to land a strike on Shirou.

By that point, I had no doubt in the truth of his claim.

Emiya Shirou... the distorted survivor of a terrible cursed fire that wiped away everything he knew. The one cursed with the ideal of becoming a superhero, who did become a superhero in some timeline.

I didn't know which version I was facing, since he didn't look like he'd used much projection magic judging from his pale skin and pure red hair, but it was obvious that he was familiar with his blades.

A style based on inferiority. A style that allowed him to control the battle by leaving true openings to ruthlessly exploit the ingrained instincts in trained fighters. A style that was designed to allow him to fight beings beyond humanity, fight at a level above what a human should be capable of matching simply by using a mind of steel and calm battle analysis.

A style that he didn't even bother using when he fought me.

_He knows my every move!_

My own combat style had been based on his, a fake that was imitating the original. But unlike him, I didn't have the skill or distorted mindset to pull it off to his level. Not only that, but whatever plot device that had given me the necessary combat skills to fight Lyn had worn off, leaving me with only the skill I had learned on my own.

An inevitable outcome. My half-baked style couldn't hold a candle to the one earned by countless years of struggle.

My Runesword was knocked to the side, and I was knocked on my back. In an instant, Kanshou was at my neck, the black blade gleaming in the fire-lit arena. Shirou was looking at me with an unreadable expression, his eyes narrowed. His gaze flitted to the side, and he said, "That sword..."

"Mark!"

Lissa's voice called out, and then a flash of blue light enveloped me. The world blurred, and the next thing I knew, I was standing at Lissa's side. The princess was holding a staff with a green orb and what looked like silver wings beneath that. Her hands were white, knuckles pale from the death grip she had on the staff. "Thank Naga... I made it in time."

I shook my head, clearing it of the disorientation from being suddenly warped across the room _(how does that thing work, anyway?)_ and then turned my attention back to the battle still raging on.

"Looks like it's about over, huh?"

Between Frederick, Chrom, and a Robin who had apparently retained all of his skills from the future, the nameless fighters had been easily disarmed and knocked out. The only ones left still standing were Lucina and Shirou... _Huh. That's a thought. _

What if... what if Grima had been deemed a threat against Alaya and Gaia, or whatever passed for the embodiment of Humanity and the World here. The Outrealms already allowed one to travel throughout the different dimensions... and Lucina needed a 'hero' to help her save the future.

Did she manage to summon Shirou to help her? Was that why he was here?

The clash of steel. Frederick had broken off to engage Shirou, while Robin and Chrom teamed up against Lucina.

Surprisingly, Lucina was holding her own against the two. Shirou though...

Frederick managed to disarm one of Shirou's swords with his lance, the longer weapon giving him an advantage against even two swords... _Wait. Didn't Archer manage to hold off Lancer with that style?_

Shirou stepped back, seemingly staggering from Frederick's heavy thrust. Bakuya had been knocked away, leaving only Kanshou, the black sword, in Shirou's left hand. The red-head raised that sword above him, as if to block from an attack to his head- _wait._

I blinked. There was something about that stance. Something that I should remember... something dangerous.

Frederick stepped back, spinning his lance, and prepared to attack.

-It clicked. I remembered why Shirou's stance was familiar. The sword was different, and he shouldn't be able to use that technique. But then, I didn't know just which 'Shirou' this was. If this was one from Heaven's Feel...

"Lissa. Use your staff on Frederick."

The distance was too far. Chrom and Robin were locked in combat against Lucina and couldn't break off to help Frederick. I was at the opposite side of the arena, and I couldn't reach Frederick in time to warn him. No, even then I wouldn't be able to stop it.

"Eh? But Frederick's winn-"

"DO IT NOW!"

The urgency in my voice got through to her, and she raised her staff, the first words of a chant sounding out-

"_Trace, on._"

-but it was too late.

Frederick stepped forward, and Shirou confronted him by also stepping forward.

_"Nine Lives Bladeworks."_

It was over in an instant.

Upper arm, collarbone, windpipe, temple, diaphragm, rib, testicles, thigh, and a final thrust to the heart. Nine attacks at godspeed, so fast that they might as well have been overlapping.

Lissa finished her chant, and Frederick appeared in front of us.

...Frederick's armor managed to block the brunt of the assault, and a flash of light that I assumed must have been 'Pavise' triggering saved him from being completely torn apart. Even so, those wounds would be lethal if not treated soon.

_This wasn't supposed to happen._ Sure, it was possible for Frederick to get wounded in these early stages, and even lose all his hit points, but to be on the verge of dying like this...

No. The question was why Shirou was doing this. He was supposed to be a good guy, supposed to be on 'our' side. And Lucina wouldn't want to hurt Frederick, since the knight was so close to the royal family.

It was illogical. It was irrational.

It shouldn't have happened.

A strangled roar. Seeing Frederick cut down like that sent Chrom into a fury, and he knocked Lucina back with a heavy slash, sending the Parallel Falchion flying.

She landed with a loud thud, and muttered some words under her breath.

"Frederick... please be alright...!"

Lissa's pleading voice brought my attention back to more important matters. Namely the fact that Frederick was lying there bleeding out and Lissa was scrambling to heal him.

The knight coughed up some blood, but managed to put on a small smile. "Worry not milady. It will take more than some upstart like that to keep me down."

"Frederick..."

What could I say in this situation? What could I do?

As if sensing my hesitation, the knight shook his head. "At ease, Mark. You could not have matched him. There is no need to concern yourself over that."

It wasn't quite what I was thinking, but his reassurance helped anyway.

Frederick let out a sigh. "It was surprising. To think that the Khan had managed to find Einherjar to be his champions... 'tis a good thing indeed that Robin is so capable."

"Einherjar..." That was familiar, something important. _Wait._ "You mean like a Heroic Spirit?"

Frederick blinked. "Heroic Spirit...? I am unfamiliar with that term... but I suppose. Yes, the Einherjar are the spirits of heroes from the past given life once more as a boon from the planet, so they may be called Heroic Spirits. Though it appears that 'Marth' is not the true Hero King of the past."

The knight turned his head towards the battle, and I followed his gaze. The other enemies had been defeated, with only Shirou and Lucina remaining, the time traveller managing to retrieve her sword and join the battle again during the time I wasn't paying attention.

Like in the game, Lucina was dueling Chrom-

"I challenge my fate!"

-and apparently shouting out her battle quotes with every swing, the Parallel Falchion glowing as Aether triggered left and right.

"Predictable!"

But Robin was paired up with Chrom, and every attack performed by Lucina was countered with one of his own.

Even though it had only been a short time, Chrom and Robin were fighting with the synergy that would put most others to shame, a furious assault that showed just how talented the two were.

Had Lucina been alone, the match would have been decided long ago.

...But she wasn't.

It seemed that Shirou had moved to Lucina's side after Lissa rescued Frederick, and the Faker was fighting remarkably well with Lucina. It seemed that he was limiting himself, however, as he wasn't projecting any of his other Noble Phantasms, or using Nine Lives again.

Probably because it would end up killing Chrom, and Lucina wouldn't want that. And since he was fighting at her side, it seemed Shirou didn't want that either.

A stalemate, both sides evenly matched-

"It's time to tip the scales!"

-and then Robin swung his bronze sword and sent a devastating wave of electricity towards Lucina and Shirou _(is that even possible?)_.

They couldn't avoid it, as it had been too sudden and too close to dodge. Lucina and Shirou were sent flying back, bodies convulsing as the electricity swept through them, and landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

Fortunately, it seemed that Robin had held back quite a bit, and the two only looked stunned.

The sound of a gong.

The tournament had ended.

Somehow, we had won, despite the odds against us. _Seriously, Emiya Shirou, Lyn, and apparently even more Heroic Spirits from what Frederick said? What did Lucina do, find the Holy Grail?_

That reminded me... now that the battle was over, I had to deal with Lyn.

Joy.

* * *

A/N: Well, that was a thing. Why is Shirou there? What the heck happened to me when I met Lyn? And why on earth is everything so screwy?

I suppose that's what happens when a writer gets thrown into a self-insert situation. Things tend to go out of hand, pretty fast.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my latest shenanigans in FE: Awakening! Remember to leave a review on your way out, and I'll see you all next time!

Guest Replies:

The Overgoat: It's not the bad timeline, but it's not quite the original game timeline either. Things are... complicated. As for Lucina calling Mark "Uncle" that's a secret that might or might not involve blood ties.


	7. A Heroic Encounter

Chapter 6: A Heroic Encounter

* * *

After the tournament, the diplomatic party of Ylisse set off to negotiate with the new Khan. In other words, Robin, Frederick, Lissa, and Chrom went to go talk with Flavia.

The rest of the Shepherds did whatever they were doing the first time around when we were at Castle Ferox.

I, on the other hand, was dragged away by an enthusiastic swordswoman the moment the battle was over. While Lucina and Shirou had vanished the moment the battle was over, as well as their friends, Lyn had immediately made her way towards me and insisted on coming along, saying that I wasn't going to leave her behind this time.

Now _that_ had gotten some... troublesome reactions. Robin for one let out that same amused smirk he always had around me lately, while the other Shepherds were confused or intrigued that I knew an Einherjar.

Chrom had just sighed and waved me away, saying that he had enough headaches to deal with at the moment.

And that was how I found myself taking a walk outside the castle courtyard with Lyn, as snow drifted down from above. Unlike the Shepherds and myself, she was dressed for the weather, wearing a fur lined jacket over a long dress. A similar outfit to what she had in the DLC, if I remembered right.

Lyn let out a soft smile and held her hand out, catching the snowflakes on her gloves. "This brings back memories... it's been so long since we've had the chance to walk in the snow like this."

"Lyn..."

I sighed, unable to bring myself to say what needed to be said. I couldn't let this misunderstanding go on any longer. It was both cruel and dishonorable to do so. But then, what could I say? She had been so happy, so filled with joy when she learned my name was 'Mark'.

Taking that away from her was just as cruel as continuing this charade.

"You had reassured me back then, just like this," Lyn said. "Do you remember? What you said to me that day?"

I shook my head, my voice catching in my throat.

She turned towards me, a bright smile on her face. "You said I should be proud of my blood. I had been worried about what my grandfather would think about me, and you said that if he couldn't see how 'beautiful, kind, and compassionate' I was, that he didn't deserve me."

_I remember that._ It was a scene from my story when Mark and Lyn had arrived at Araphen, when he first realized his feelings for Lyn.

But... that wasn't me.

"Lyn. I-"

She shook her head. "It's alright. You don't have to say it." Her smile faltered a bit, but remained. "It was a lifetime ago."

I was silent for a moment, but then sighed. _Why me, world? All of these troublesome events... _"Lyn. I'm not Mark."

She blinked, and then laughed. "You don't have to try and comfort me, Mark. It's alright if you don't-"

I shook my head. "No, I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding."

Again, it was cruel. The fate that I had in mind for 'Mark' after reaching Caelin... from Lyn's reaction, it seemed that it had come to pass. A 'wish' from outside her world, whose only purpose was to fade away after his role was complete, never to be seen again.

"I'm not the Mark you know. While we have... similarities, he and I are different individuals."

She was quiet, and then shook her head, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Did you lose your memories _again_? Is that why you-"

"Lyn. I am not Mark."

A helpless smile. I didn't know how else to put it. "He... I'm just someone taking his role, using his behavior as a way to pattern my own. No... that's not quite right."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

How could I put it? Mark wasn't me... and yet at the same time, a part of him _had_ been me. After all, I had been the one dictating his actions, writing his words, and his reactions. And at the same time, that had not been _me_, but someone else that I brought into being.

A glance at Lyn's expression showed she wasn't understanding either. It was clear that she was being hurt by my words though.

"How can I put this... I suppose you could say that Mark's a part of me, but not really me."

"Oh."

She lowered her head, but I could see the unshed tears in her eyes. "I just thought... after all this time..."

I let out a long suffering sigh and gave Lyn a hug.

She tensed at the sudden contact, but then relaxed and hugged me back.

"...I'm sorry, Lyn."

It was just too sad. The tale of the mysterious tactician who would only disappear after his battles were over. The girl on the plains who had waited for him.

I started to speak, to say something in regards to my blunder for having caused her pain, but then someone else spoke instead.

"_I_ _never meant to hurt you. If I could have stayed..._"

A fog. It wasn't me in control at that moment, and it definitely wasn't me saying those words. But it was, at the same time. A strange sense of duality that was both the truth, and a lie. No... not a lie, but rather _fiction._

A gasp, and Lyn started to pull back, but I found myself holding her tighter.

_"No... just for a little longer... Let's stay like this."_

A jagged breath, and the feel of wet tears on my shirt.

_...Who are you?_

A question I couldn't help but ask, even if I didn't expect an answer. But then-

_...Someone who never existed. But you already knew that, didn't you ******? _

-He answered me.

It was a soft voice, calm and intellectual, with the hints of charisma. Nothing like my own.

_Watch over her for me._

With those words, the presence was gone, and I had a crying girl in my arms.

...Of course because I was a noble idiot, I couldn't do anything but stand there until she finished, awkwardly patting her back.

And then Robin showed up, and I had to explain things to that smug dastard.

_I hate my life._

* * *

"...I hate my life."

Robin laughed and shook his head. "Just admit it already, Mark. You're a shameless philanderer!"

We were heading back to Ylisstol, having secured reinforcements from Regna Ferox for the Risen threat. In addition, Lon'qu had joined the party and ensured that Lissa wasn't paying much attention to me anymore, finding much more interest in the swordsman with the lady-phobia.

...That was probably the one good thing that resulted from the trip.

After the surreal heart to heart conversation with Lyn, the reincarnated hero had taken to following me around, as well as acting like my personal bodyguard. Of course, that had led to the questions of why she was doing so, especially since she had just dragged me off without explanation earlier.

That then led to her confessing that she had once fallen in love with someone who was a lot like me, whom I had actually known, but who had disappeared before she could say it. Because I was really similar to her said love interest, and because I had a lot of stories to tell her about his travels after they had met, Lyn had decided to stick around.

A majority of the Shepherds had bought that story, surprisingly enough. It seemed that they were all romantics at heart, and so ignored the rather obvious discrepancy in that story, namely that I hadn't been around a few thousand years back when Elibe still existed.

The only ones who didn't were Frederick, who apparently believed I was an Einherjar now, Chrom, who figured that it was too much trouble to deal with and ultimately unnecessary, and Robin, who thought the whole ordeal was completely hilarious. And to that end, he had managed to pull me aside for a 'strategy session', which he used for merciless teasing. And since Lyn was used to 'Mark' doing things like that in the past, she had left me alone with the guy.

"I am not!"

I crossed my arms and sent the white-haired tactician a harsh glare. "Besides, you shouldn't be talking Mr. Friendzone!"

He frowned in thought. "...Mr. Friendzone?"

_Oh, right._ I didn't know if he did that or not... though he seemed the type. Supporting all of the female cast to Rank A, with Rank S possible, but never going all the way... that seemed like the guy in front of me.

I sighed. "Nevermind."

He gave me an odd look, but I had a feeling that wouldn't be the last of it.

"So... tell me a bit more about Lyn," Robin said.

I was about to glare at him, when I saw that he wasn't teasing but being serious.

"I think I remember her... but I'm not sure," he said. "She's the same hero from the tales of Elibe, right?"

I started to nod, but then stopped halfway. "Not... really. I think she's from an alternate version of them."

Robin frowned, mulling over my words. "Alternate version...? Is she not the same Lyndis that was with Lord Eliwood and Hector who fought the Dark Sorcerer Nergal?"

"Do the tales mention anything about a tactician who helped them along their journey?"

Robin shook his head. "Not that I can recall."

_Huh... so the 'canon' version of Elibe is the one where you start off right on Eliwood's tale, it seems..._

"Well, in the version I'm familiar with, there was a tactician who helped the three lords along their quest. A bit like you and Chrom actually, except that he couldn't fight."

Robin nodded, and seeing that he was paying attention, I continued.

"There were a few variations to the story though. In one, it was said that his tactics were so brilliant he changed the course of history, such that two of the major powers went to war over him. In another, and the one I was most familiar with, he vanished without word when the final battle was over, never to be seen again. In that version, some even say that the tactician was doomed to repeat his time with the lords, either cursed by fate or higher powers, starting each cycle anew without any memories."

That last bit caused Robin to stop in his tracks, and he turned to me with wide eyes. "You don't think that the tactician-"

"It's not you if that's what you're thinking. For one, his hair was brown, not white. For another, you can actually fight."

"I see."

We walked in silence for a bit, Robin lost in his thoughts, and myself pondering the whole convoluted series of events that had taken place.

_Let's see... Robin remembering the future, which apparently involved a different version of me. Lucina apparently finding heroic spirits, both from Fire Emblem and elsewhere, to help her. Lyn being the Lyn from one of my fanfictions and not the canon version. And now we were heading back to Ylisstol, where Maribelle would probably already have been kidnapped. What's going to happen next, another 'Robin' appearing out of nowhere to save her?_

I scoffed at the thought of that. As ridiculous as things were, I doubted it would go _that_ far. Even if I was apparently in some bad fanfiction scenario... no,_ because _I was in some bad fanfiction scenario, something like that wouldn't happen.

"Hold on." Robin turned to me, his eyes lighting up in realization. "Are _you_ that tactician? Is that why she was so upset when I found you two?"

I sighed. "It's... complicated. I'm still trying to figure that out for myself."

Robin frowned. "How would it be complicated? You either are, or you aren't."

"And what about you? Are you Chrom's mur-"

"That wasn't me." A steely response. Robin cast a quick look around to make sure no one had heard, and then sent me a glare. "It was Grima."

"And isn't that guy really a part of you after all, even if you don't want him to be?"

"I don't see how-" Robin blinked, and I could almost hear the gears in his head turning.

I waited. Smart guy that he was, it shouldn't take him long to figure out.

"Oh. So you mean that..."

"Like I said, it's complicated."

* * *

When we got to Ylisstol, the usual group went off to the palace to meet with Emmeryn, namely Chrom, Lissa, Frederick, and Robin. The rest of us Shepherds headed to the garrison-

"This does not seem like much of a military base, Mark."

-and again, the others ditched me to do something else, leaving me with Lyn. _I should probably get to know some of the others... _ They were all interesting people, after all. And besides, being left out like that was... kinda sad.

I shrugged in response to Lyn's statement. "They used to have an attached barracks to the castle, but this place was donated to their use. Lissa probably had a say in moving here though, considering she didn't really like the last place."

"I see..."

There was an awkward silence after that. It seemed that Lyn didn't know how to react around me, and to be honest I didn't know how to react around her either.

With that awkward air hanging about us, I walked around the castle and pointed out the important places to Lyn. Along the way, she remained quiet, though she smiled at the small anecdotes I put in here and there, visibly brightening when I showed her around.

Eventually, we reached the mess hall, where the Shepherds hung out between training and other things.

I reached for the door, but it opened before I could grab it, and someone walked into me.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, bub!"

I blinked, mainly because _I_ was the one who was hit hard. Those doors swung out, not in, and I'd just been personally introduced to the ornamentation on the door.

"Mark! Are you alright?"

Lyn was at my side in an instant, helping to steady me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit rattled."

I shook my head and looked at the one who had hit me. A familiar red-head, with her hair tied up in a short ponytail behind her. Anna, the recurring figure in the Fire Emblem series, with a family tree apparently similar to the Nurse Joys in Pokémon. That is, many sisters and cousins all named 'Anna' and look identical.

She frowned. "Hold on. Did you say Mark?" She turned to Lyn, her eyes wide. "And you're Lyn! My cousin's told me all about you two!"

"...Anna?"

Lyn looked at the woman with wide eyes. "But how?"

"Oh, no no. I'm not the Anna you're thinking of. That's my cousin, Anna."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to stave off the growing headache. "Yes, that's good and all, Anna. But I was showing Lyn around, so could you-"

"Hold on, bub." Anna reached into her bag. "I've got something here for you from my cousin. Now where was it...? Ah, here it is."

She handed me a small card.

"...What's this?"

It was like a bank card, but had the words 'Renown' and 'VIP' on the front and back. It was made of a strange material that seemed to shimmer as the light caught it, showing a small rainbow across its surface.

Anna shrugged. "She said you dropped that off with her at the gate, and that you might be wanting it back."

"...Thanks?"

It wasn't familiar at all, and I don't remember ever meeting Anna's cousin, or seeing that 'Gate' she was talking about. It was confusing, but at least I got confirmation of the Outrealms. And it looked like using this would be the key to accessing all the Einherjar and other things Robin told me about.

_Now if only I could figure out how this works..._

Before I could dwell on it, there was the sound of footsteps clambering down the hallway and voices.

"He's not here? Are you sure?"

"Yes! He said there wasn't any time to wait and rushed off by himself!"

I blinked and turned towards the voices. _That sounds like Robin and Lissa._

Robin gave a brief nod towards Lyn and Anna, and then turned to me and said, "Mark. Have you seen Ricken anywhere?"

I frowned. "No... I don't think so. I've been showing Lyn around the place, and I didn't see him anywhere."

Robin ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't good. Maribelle's been captured by Gangrel, and Lady Emmeryn sent a request to parley with him to get her back. We were just about to head out, but it seems that Ricken 'jumped the gun' as you would say."

"...I say that?"

Robin just gave me a look, and then sighed. "Just get your stuff. We have to leave."

* * *

It was a frantic group of Shepherds that headed off towards the Ylissean border. Thankfully, there hadn't been any Risen to impede our progress. In fact, they seemed to have practically vanished off the face of the planet... it was odd.

Robin was going over his contingency plans, factoring in the fact that Ricken had rushed on ahead. It was mostly the same in terms of events, but the time-table would be crucial. If Ricken managed to get there first and save Maribelle before we arrived, it was extremely likely that both would die and Ylisse would be at war with Plegia regardless.

Thankfully, Ricken hadn't taken a horse, apparently too much in a rush to think clearly, so we still had a chance.

We finally arrived at the mountainside around noon the next day.

All of the Shepherds were present, which included Donny I found out. It seemed that he had been recruited while we were at Regna Ferox.

As expected, Gangrel and Aversa were present. Emmeryn went along with her approach of diplomacy, being the kind-hearted individual she was.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't work.

"...Any ideas on how we're going to do this, Robin?"

Being the two who had an idea of how things would play out, Robin and I were off to the side, having running over any plans before things went blew up in our faces.

"...Have you managed to figure out how to summon your Einherjar yet?"

I shook my head slightly, keeping my eyes on the scene unfolding. "I think I have the key to it now, but no, I haven't."

Gangrel had brought Maribelle out and was claiming that she was the one who had crossed over the border. Of course, she denied that.

Robin frowned. "Looks like we're going with a straight up battle then. Think you can get to Maribelle with Lyn?"

"Can't you just have Lissa 'rescue' her?"

He shook his head. "Too far. I might be able to manage it, but I haven't explained things to Chrom yet, and Frederick's already suspicious."

_Of course... that'd be too easy, wouldn't it?_

"Lyn? What do you think?"

As always, she was standing by my side. She had been respectfully quiet, realizing the importance of our discussion.

"...I believe we can do it." She gave me a small smile. "The two of us have never had trouble rushing into enemy forces before."

Robin nodded. "As long as you can do it. Things should work out if you can hold them off for a few moments." He frowned. "Now, if only Ricken would show up..."

Chrom suddenly cut down one of the Plegian guards that had rushed towards Emmeryn.

"...And now our time's up." Robin muttered.

Gangrel laughed, reminding me a lot of the Joker in the way he grabbed at his face and threw his head back, and then said. "Now that's a declaration of war if I ever saw one!"

Chrom stepped back, his face set in a grimace, but determined to protect Emmeryn. "You won't lay a hand on her or the Fire Emblem, Gangrel!"

Robin nodded towards me and held up three fingers.

I sighed and drew my Runesword. "Lyn?"

"I'm with you."

Gangrel straightened, looking down upon us from his place at the top of the mountains and said, "Fine, fine. We'll have it your way, little prince!"

Two.

He waved his arms, and soldiers spilled out from hidden places, showing that we were vastly outnumbered.

...Of course that didn't matter. Even if we were in Lunatic+ mode, we had an end-game Robin with all of his skills on our side. Probably some enemy-only skills as well, considering what I'd seen so far.

One.

"Get'em, boys!"

I charged, with Lyn at my side. Robin shouted out orders to the rest of the Shepherds, primarily focused on protecting the Exalt, and above I saw Ricken blast Aversa with wind magic.

Events were unfolding just as they should, despite the minor changes. Of course. There hadn't been any major chances to change things. Though the scenes were different, the acts remained the same.

Lyn and I cut through the enemies before us. Strangely enough, my body seemed to have a mind of its own while fighting by her side, and the two of us fought with perfect synergy. _...Is that guy's memory strong enough to affect my body even when he's gone?_

It wasn't 'me' fighting like this, after all. No, it was more of a subconscious instinct, like those rare moments when predict an outcome of a game of chance without thinking. The more I thought about it, the worse I fought. The less I thought, the better.

It was frustrating, but useful. _At least I won't be getting hurt anytime soon..._

"On your left!"

I immediately dodged right, and Lyn cut down the swordsman that had sprung out from the trees.

We were halfway there. I could see Maribelle and Ricken up ahead. But unlike in the game, while those two had retreated into the woods to avoid the enemy, there were a lot more people here with Gangrel.

We wouldn't make it in time.

"Lyn, hurry!"

We had to. I couldn't let them die. If there was someone in front of me I could save, I couldn't let them die.

Lyn cut down a volley of arrows headed towards us. "I am trying!"

There were just too many. Despite the skills that made her an 'Einherjar' or Heroic Spirit, there were just too many. After all, she was still 'human', even if she was a legendary figure. And she also didn't have any legendary weapons, like her Mani Katti, or Sol Katti.

A squad of soldiers lay in front of us. Unlike the ones we had fought along the way, they had wised up to our actions. It seemed they had realized we were trying to rush past, and so they had changed plans. As they had the higher ground, they took an inverted 'v' formation.

Behind them, another squad of soldiers were heading towards Maribelle and Ricken.

We couldn't break through. Not in time, anyway.

The soldiers were no obstacle. With Lyn at my side and my conveniently increased combat skills _(this is really starting to get suspicious...)_ we could kill them all without a scratch.

But there wasn't enough time. The delay would only be another minute, but in that minute Maribelle and Ricken would die.

Irritation. _Like hell!_

I swung my Runesword, and a wave of dark energy spilled out, turning half of the soldiers into dust.

The shock from my sudden attack was enough for Lyn to take care of the rest, and we ran past them.

...But it was too late.

The soldiers had already reached them. By the time we caught up, Maribelle and Ricken would already be dead. Even if we somehow managed to reach them in the next few seconds, and attack, there would still be enough time for them to kill the defenseless magic users.

_Faster!_ I couldn't let them die. Not just because they were important, but because they were _right there_! I could save them! They were _right there_! I couldn't let them-

"Thoron."

The spell came from out of nowhere.

One moment, there had been no one there, and the soldiers were going to attack Maribelle and Ricken. In the next, there was a giant blast of electricity so intense it turned the soldiers into dust.

I came to a screeching halt. _Was that Robin? No, that blast was too strong even for him. _

Beside me, I heard Lyn come to a stop as well. "...That was not you, was it Mark?"

"No. No, it wasn't."

Still, I wasn't going to question divine intervention. With all of the other weird things happening to me-

"Are you two safe?"

A man, one with white hair the same shade as Robin's. A tome in his right hand, marked with a simple thunderbolt, and an all too familiar tactician cloak with purple eyes... He appeared out of nowhere and addressed Maribelle and Ricken.

"Y-yes, thanks to you."

Ricken's relieved response.

I narrowed my eyes, and gestured for Lyn to follow. It seemed that the man hadn't noticed us yet.

"Good. Then I'm done here." With that, he turned towards me, and I could see his features completely.

Like I thought, he had white hair the same shade as Robin's. Not only that, but the cloak was the _exact same_ as the one Robin wore, if not more tattered.

...But he wasn't Robin.

A worn face, covered in scars and creased with age. Dark eyes that seemed to almost glow with power.

He looked at me and his face twitched into a smile.

"So you're Mark, huh? Funny. You don't look the part."

"...Who are you?"

Tense. Without realizing it, I had tensed up. There was something about the man in front of me, something about his presence that put me on edge. Like my very existence was being threatened just from being near him. Like it would be all too simple for him to just reach out and _end_ me.

Lyn must have noticed my tension, because she placed a hand on my shoulder and stepped forward in a wordless challenge to the man.

The man shrugged. "Somebody, nobody. But if you want a name... you can call me Rufure. Now, if you kids don't mind, I have a mad dog to put down and some soldiers to kill."

Before I could do so much as blink, a dark glyph appeared beneath him and he had vanished.

_A mad dog...?_

A blast of thunder, as if the heavens themselves were tearing apart.

I spun around, just in time to see the sky light up-

"Thordain."

-and then divine lightning erased the Plegian soldiers.

* * *

A/N: More shenanigans in FE Awakening! Behold, more chaos unfolding as Mark tries to figure out what the hell is going on in the universe!

Who's this 'Rufure' character?

What's going on with Mark?

What are we going to do now that canon has literally been blasted to bits?

I dunno, but it's going to be a wild ride from this point, I can say that!

* * *

_Excerpt from Old Hubba's journal._

_...Outrealmer. Those drawn into the world are released by Fate, and become able to change it, for better for worse. Granted strength through a contract signed upon entry, wish fulfillment, or a boon from a greater power, they are wildcards that inflict 'chaos' upon the world's 'order's._

_There are multiple types, the most common being 'Dreamers', 'Travelers', and 'Fragments'._

_Dreamers are those who have chanced upon the world, and through circumstances of fate or coincidence, find themselves in a dual existence. In the end, they must choose one world, lest they fall between the cracks and are lost to eternity._

_Travelers are those who arrive in the world through the influence of a higher power. A contract is usually involved, and failure to fulfill it will lead to dire consequences. The impetus for arriving is usually death in their home world and a higher power intercepting their soul on a whim to play out a role in another world, though they may just be those who have arrived in another world through various circumstances._

_Fragments... they are those that should not exist. Contradictory beings that are formed from the wishes of those who have been to many worlds, who have created worlds with their own will and desires. They are beings that are whole, and yet are not. Souls that have broken off from the origin, and yet remain true to the purpose._

_While all Outrealmers shift the balance and possess the potential to shatter fate as wildcards inflicting 'chaos' to the orderly future, 'Fragments' are the most dangerous of them all. Unlike Dreamers and Travelers, they are not ordinary souls. Fluctuating existences, they tear apart the boundaries between worlds, applying a 'logic' to the world they arrive in that does not belong._

_Behold the Dreamer._

_Beware the Traveler._

_But above all... fear the Fragments, for they will lead to the end of existence itself._


	8. Changing History

Chapter 7: Changing History

* * *

_What the hell._

I couldn't describe it.

_Thordain?!_

The battlefield was devastated. All of the enemies, the Plegian soldiers, Aversa, even Gangrel himself were gone. The only signs that they had even been there in the first place were scorch marks on the ground and piles of ash. Even then, those were already fading away as the wind gathered them up.

Even Lyn, who had faced fire breathing dragons in her time, was stunned.

"...Mark. Did that... did that man just call forth the thunder of the gods?"

A sky full of divine thunder, a spell that I clearly recalled. The ultimate lightning spell from Dragon Quest, given only to those in the 'Hero' class, one chosen by the gods themselves to combat the big bads of the games. Something that shouldn't exist, and far too powerful in the context of Fire Emblem.

"I... I don't even know anymore."

It didn't make sense. Hell, nothing made sense anymore.

Emiya Shirou. Lyn being the one from my own fanfic rather than the original. Robin remembering his memories from the future and being able to cast Thoron with a thunder tome. And now a random guy out of the blue called 'Rufure' that could cast Thordain, a spell from Dragon Quest?

The mountains were silent, as the Shepherds and Emmeryn's guards tried to make sense of what had just happened-

"MARK! Get over here!"

-and then Robin's voice called out, causing me to be the center of attention.

I felt numb, but I did as he said and walked towards the tactician, Lyn helping me steady myself along the way.

Maribelle and Ricken followed us, but I only barely acknowledged them.

_What the hell._

* * *

"What in Grima's name happened out there, Mark?!"

We had managed to make it back to Ylisstol without much trouble. No Risen, no Plegians... of course. There wasn't anything to bother us in the first place, so arriving back without trouble was inevitable.

As was Robin's hysterics and him pulling me aside to interrogate me the moment we reached the castle.

The tactician ran his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth along the cobbled floor of the war room.

"...Should we be talking about this with them here?"

I gestured towards the two sitting in the center of the war room, Chrom and Emmeryn.

Robin gave them a dismissive wave. "I already told them everything. Not that it matters anymore now that Gangrel _and_ Aversa have died."

I turned towards the two. "You... believe us, right?"

Chrom shrugged. "You two have done nothing wrong, and even worked in our best interests." He frowned. "I can't say I'm not upset that you haven't brought it up sooner, but I can understand why you two hid it."

Emmeryn nodded. "Indeed. It is a most fascinating tale, but you need not worry. Robin has more than given us enough assurance of your story."

That comment made me wonder just what he told them, but I ignored it for now.

We had to sort out what was going on.

"Well, we met someone called Rufure. At least I think that was his name, right Lyn?"

She nodded. "Yes, that is what he called himself." She frowned. "He also stated that he was 'someone and no one'. As to his appearance, he was not unlike yourself, Robin, save older... though I do not believe he was a future version of you."

Robin let out a long breath and took a seat. "This is bad. Not only do we have to deal with Grima, Walhart, and all the other problems, but now we have another person running around, with magic strong enough to wipe out an entire platoon of soldiers in one go."

It was bad. No matter how you put it, our situation had taken a turn for the worse.

"...What do we do now?" I asked.

Robin sighed. "I don't know. There are too many variables, too many things that have changed. Validar might still appear tonight and try to kill Emmeryn, or he might not. With Gangrel dead, he might decide to just claim his seat as the Plegian king, however he did it last time."

"So... we play by ear?"

Robin nodded. "We just have to stay vigilant." He turned towards the two of the Exalted line and said, "Lady Emmeryn. You should stay in your room tonight, as well as increase the number of guards. Chrom, you'll be with me. Mark... I don't know. Do whatever you think you need to do. You'll have a better perspective on things than I do. Just be careful. And Lady Lyn, make sure to keep an eye on him. He can be a bit... reckless at times. Understood?"

I blinked. _Whoa._ There was no doubting Robin's military prowess here. Was that how the Veteran skill transferred over into reality? Complete confidence, a no nonsense tone of voice. Clear orders. _He's more like a general than a tactician... scary. _

Nods all around, and then Robin said, "Alright. Then let's go. Be careful everyone."

* * *

I was walking through the castle. Lyn was... somewhere. Probably nearby, but if she was, she didn't make her presence known.

I had needed time alone. Time to think my way through this madhouse, the wonderland I found myself in after falling down the rabbit hole.

This wasn't right. Nothing was right. Life was completely out of whack now.

More than just clichéd, this world I found myself in, this role I found myself playing had become more like a surreal nightmare than a self insert fanfiction.

Pieces and fragments from fictional worlds I remembered were ending up in _this_ world. And there was no way that was a coincidence. If it was a coincidence, there would be other things here, things I didn't know. But so far, everything that was not from 'Fire Emblem' was from something that I knew. And not just something generic either, but from what 'I' knew, what I had created.

The Runesword I was wielding was something that 'Mark' should have. Lyn was from my fanfiction. Shirou... I wasn't too sure how he fit, but it was obvious he wasn't a canon Shirou since he had used Nine Lives without Berserker's axesword. And now this 'Rufure' person who could cast Thordain.

Was this my fault?

_If you wish to upset the balance so much..._

Naga's words came to me. That was right. She had warned me of what would happen. This chaos... the responsibility was mine and mine alone. I didn't know how, but my presence here had distorted reality to this extent, had caused all this mayhem.

Gangrel was dead. This early, I didn't know how that would affect things. Aversa was dead as well. As Validar's right hand, I had no doubt that it would change things for the worse, not the better.

And then there was the question of Grima. As the Fell Dragon, there was no way that he didn't know what was happening. If Naga could detect my presence, then Grima could as well, as they were said to be equals.

Now that Naga had withdrawn, and with all of these changes, what would he be doing? And was he even still here in the first place? Robin remembered his memories, so it was clear that Grima had tried to take over. But where was he now?

"Gragh... this is stupid."

I stopped in front of a window and stared outside.

A breathtaking view. A medieval city and mountainscape in the distance. A setting sun and radiant scene. It was beautiful, and yet it was completely ridiculous.

"...Why couldn't it just be simple?"

Completely out of my depths. I didn't know how I got here, but I wanted to help. And along the way, it turned out that everything was completely messed up. Completely destroyed from canon events, as well as unpredictable in every way.

I should have never gone with them. I should have ignored them. Maybe, maybe if I had done that, it wouldn't be this way.

I sighed and pressed my head against the window, letting the cool pane settle my mind. Not thinking, just... there. I was overwhelmed, so I didn't bother trying to resist that feeling. I just let it settle over me, and stared at the setting sun.

I went undisturbed. Probably because the castle was in high alert tonight, and that Robin was struggling to make sure no one died.

"Are you Mark?"

Someone called out to me. A female voice.

I ignored it. Hell, what did it matter anymore? I just wanted to fade away. Just... stand there. Not thinking, not doing anything.

I could already tell that things were going to go bad. And I couldn't help anyone. Sure, Robin believed in me. Sure, I knew a possible future. But being capable of helping them, of preventing people from dying...

I couldn't deal with it.

A hand on my shoulder.

I sighed and turned towards it. "What do you want-"

I blinked.

She was someone I hadn't met yet, and yet was someone familiar. I said her name without thinking. "Cordelia?"

Cordelia looked stunned, but then her expression smoothed into a smile. "I see introductions won't be needed. Er... you are Mark, correct?"

I nodded, though inwardly cursed my impulsive nature. "Yes, I am. Was there something you needed?"

She nodded. "Yes, Sir Robin sent me to take you for some training. He said it might help you take your mind off of things."

I frowned. It was good that Robin was so concerned, but why would he send Cordelia, I wondered._ Well, I guess it doesn't really matter._

Cordelia was supposed to be a genius, so it would help to train with her. I nodded. Yes, it would be good to do some training. The current me... though I liked to imagine myself in situations like the one I was in, that was always with me being completely overpowered, with the ability to triumph against all and any opponents.

_How naive._

I smiled at Cordelia. "Lead the way."

* * *

Cordelia led me to the castle courtyard. Along the way, she told me a bit more about herself. How she was a Pegasus knight in training. How her seniors made fun of her, calling her a 'genius' that didn't need to put in any hard work.

I replied at the right times and was sympathetic, but didn't put much effort into the conversation.

The reason for that would be... it was a bit too painful.

I had said it before, but all of the women in this world were beautiful. Of course, it didn't apply to just women, as I could say objectively that there weren't any 'ugly' people in this world.

Anyway, Cordelia was also beautiful. But that wasn't why it was painful. I wasn't the type to get too flustered around women. No... it was that she reminded me a bit too much of someone I once knew. It was already the case when I played the game, but actually meeting her...

I let out a long breath, though it came out more like a sigh.

_I thought I had gotten over it already._ It had already been years since that happened, but it seemed that meeting someone like her was enough to bring up memories I'd long suppressed.

"Ah, I apologize if I'm boring you..." Cordelia said.

I shook my head. "No, it's not that. I just... have a lot on my mind at all." I meant to assure her, but it didn't come out as I wanted it to, as I couldn't look her in the eye.

I felt her eyes on me, and she nodded. "Well, let's spar then. I've always found the feel of a sword or lance in my hands to help clear my mind."

She handed me a wooden sword. Before I could question how she got it, she had her own wooden sword in hand.

"Both Sir Robin and milord Chrom said that you were skilled with the blade... is that true?"

I gave her a wry smile. "...A little."

Borrowed skill was more like it. Mark... it seemed that I would be borrowing his name for a while longer.

Cordelia nodded. "Good. I've no need to hold back then."

"Wait-"

Before I could protest, a wooden sword was in my face.

I barely jumped backwards in time. But even then, Cordelia had stepped forward, closing the distance, and swung her sword at my head again.

"You're open!"

I parried it. But I could already tell that I was in trouble. Fighting Risen was one thing. Training with Frederick was another. But Cordelia was on a whole different level.

_Damn it... you're a Pegasus knight, not a myrmidon! Fight like one!_

That thought ran through my mind as I dodged another sword strike.

In hindsight, it was obvious that Cordelia would be a good swordswoman. She was a 'genius' after all, and change seals didn't magically impart skills. At least I think they didn't.

"Defending alone won't win you battles!"

Cordelia scolded me and stepped in for another attack.

_Easy for you to say..._

She was scary good. Every attack was smooth, and parrying them made my arms feel numb from each blow.

She was also right. I wasn't skilled enough to win by waiting for a counterattack. At the moment, I could keep up simply because I knew how weak I was and knew enough to block the easiest targets. I still got hit, of course, but for the most part they were glancing blows.

It seemed that Cordelia knew that as well, since she wasn't letting up in her attack at all.

I wouldn't win unless I attacked. But... I didn't want to.

I sighed and let my sword get knocked to the side with her next strike. In a flash, her sword was at my throat, and I was pressed against the wall-

_Hold on. When did that happen?_

For a moment, I thought that it was another of those odd quirks from the game that transferred in a strange way to reality, but a glance behind Cordelia showed a line of trampled grass where our battle had led us.

It wasn't that we had teleported or anything, but rather that I was just too focused on not getting hit to realized Cordelia had continued advancing while I retreated, until we reached the stone wall of the courtyard.

"Why do you not fight back, Mark?"

Cordelia's words brought my attention back to my current situation. Namely the fact that I was pinned against a wall with an attractive woman in front of me.

Any other guy would be glad to be in my position. I was also aware that this situation was something horribly clichéd, and something that reeked of poor writing and wish fulfillment.

But that was something I only barely noticed. The fact was that my mind was elsewhere.

_Why don't you be serious for once!_

I pushed her away.

"...Thanks for the spar. Sorry to trouble you."

"Eh?"

Clamp down on the memories with an iron vice. Tear them apart by imagining a black hole. Scatter them across the universe where they won't return.

It didn't matter anymore. It doesn't matter anymore.

"Hold on, Mark-"

I walked away. I couldn't look at her, not without remembering _her_.

...Was that what Robin planned? Did I tell him about her in the future?

_No, it doesn't matter._

Cordelia grabbed my shoulder. "Mark! I don't know what I've done, but-"

Irritation.

I brushed it off. "Leave me alone. I'm thankful for your concern, but I... just leave me alone."

I ran off, not giving her the chance to follow.

"Mark!"

She shouted, and I doubled my pace to leave her behind.

And then a blade went for my throat, a cloaked figure suddenly before me.

"Uncle Mark!"

At the same time, I was knocked aside and a swordsman with blue hair clashed against my would-be assassin.

"What- Lucina?"

The mask was gone, and the Exalted Heir was dressed like she did after the reveal.

The clash of steel in the distance and the sound of crackling electricity. Turning towards them, I saw Shirou fighting alongside Robin as Chrom protected Emmeryn.

_Why are they out here?_

Shouldn't they be inside? Tonight was the night that Validar tried to kill Emmeryn, wasn't it? So why was she outside?

"Are you alright, Uncle?"

I blinked and got to my feet. Right. Lucina was here... and Uncle?

"Hold on... why are you here, Lu- Marth?"

She gave me an odd look, but then shook her head. "Lucina's fine. I'll explain later, but essentially there's been a change of plans."

She looked at Cordelia, who was approaching, and nodded. "I'll leave you in her care for now. Be careful, Uncle."

"Wait-"

Before I could say anything else, she dashed off into the castle.

...Why did people keep leaving before my sentences were done?

I shook my head and turned back towards Cordelia.

"Mark, are you injured?"

"No, I'm fine."

Just my pride and mental stability was damaged. Of course, it had been that way for a while now, so...

"Can you fight then? It looks like Sir Robin's predictions came true."

I sighed. "Of course I can... and predictions? Tch... of course he would know something like this would happen. How, I have no idea, but that Robin _is_ too smart for his own good sometimes..."

I drew my Runeblade and looked around. It seemed that the battle had moved back indoors. Me and Cordelia were the only ones left in the courtyard.

"Let's go," Cordelia said. "Milord and the Exalt might be in danger."

* * *

It was a confusing and frantic dash through the dark castle corridors. With Cordelia by my side, we fought through an assortment of both Risen and Plegian soldiers.

It was disconcerting, since there were far too many enemies for this to be a simple assassination attempt. If anything, it was more like a full on invasion...

"To your left!"

Cordelia called out, and I swung my sword without hesitation, cutting down an undead swordsman.

"How many of the enemy are there?"

It was ridiculous. All around, I could here the sounds of steel and crackling magic. Thankfully, due to Robin's paranoia and fast acting, it didn't look like we had taken any casualties. There were some wounded on our side that I could see, but the only corpses were the Risen and Plegians.

But that begged the question... just why were they here?

Were the Plegians taking revenge for Gangrel's death? But he had been a tyrant, hadn't he? An oppressive king whose people would abandon him after Emmeryn's sacrifice?

So that wasn't the reason.

And then there was the fact that Lucina was here, and had discarded her disguise.

...Was Grima on the move? That was the only thing that made sense, really...

I was knocked to the ground. Cordelia was on top of me.

I was seriously confused for a moment, but then the surge of dark magic swept past where I had been moments prior.

"...Hmph. So you are the one Lord Grima desires dead."

A low voice, menacing and eerie.

I didn't know who it belonged to, but when I looked at the source, there was no mistaking that man for anyone else.

"Validar..."

Cordelia got off of me in a swift roll and stood before him, her sword raised at Validar's face. "Who are you?"

_I've already said his name..._

I suppressed my sigh and got to my feet, all the while wary of another attack from Validar. Fortunately, it looked like he was the only enemy here.

Robin's evil father narrowed his eyes. "Hmph. Lord Grima warned me of you as well... your son will be a nuisance. Perhaps I should end you now to save him the trouble."

Danger. I didn't know what he was talking about, but it was clear that he intended to kill Cordelia.

Gathering mana, and darkness emerging from his tome of _Grima's Truth._

Cordelia advanced, wary, but intending to cut Validar down before his spell finished.

Not enough. As skilled as she was, she was clearly not on the same level as Validar, who was empowered by Grima's Truth.

He easily avoided her attack, stepping smoothly to the side.

Cordelia's eyes widened, realizing her mistake.

Validar smirked and swung his hand, darkness gathering to strike Cordelia down.

Again, that moment of weakness. I saw it all. I knew what was going to happen. But I didn't move. I was there, but I was too slow. The exchange had taken place in seconds. Seconds too fast for me to act.

I was moving, but it was too slow.

I had acted, but it was too late.

"I won't let you!"

I said those words and I charged, putting all my strength into my legs.

I would make it. I was here, and she was in front of me, so I could save her. There had to be a reason for me to be in this world, and that reason was to save them. Even if things had gotten out of hand, I could do it.

A self-insert. A bad fanfiction. I was in one, right? Right. So I could save her. Even if I didn't have any powers right now, it would appear as the plot demanded. I believed in that, so I ran.

Cordelia would live. I would cut Validar down. Robin and Chrom would arrive in time for us to go over future plans. Barring that, someone else would interfere in this battle to save her.

That was the image I had in my head. The absolute truth that I knew would play out before me.

...It was shattered when Validar blasted Cordelia back with a spear of dark lightning. Like a corrupted version of Thoron.

Blood splashed on my face. Her body crashed against the ground, and Cordelia let out a pained gasp, a wet breathy sound.

Validar straightened. "There. That takes care of that. Now for you, Outrealmer-"

Attack.

"Hmph. Slow."

My blade was knocked to the side.

"...I don't see why Lord Grima is so concerned. But a threat is a threat..."

Serious. Be serious.

I hadn't been serious.

I thought I was, but I wasn't.

Cordelia was lying on the ground behind me, dying.

I couldn't protect her.

Maribelle and Ricken had almost died.

I couldn't save them.

I had thought this was a story. I had thought that this was just a dream, a nightmare. That I was in one of those crappy self-insert stories, and that everything would go my way. After all, I was the protagonist, wasn't I? Powers as the plot demanded, plot armor. Things were going well, even if they had gone a bit awry.

The image I held in my head.

It broke.

It broke.

It _broke_.

I swung my blade. Again, it was avoided.

Weak. I was too weak.

Not serious.

I should have trained more.

I should have been more cautious.

I should have been determined to be able to protect them.

Validar easily dodged my attacks, moving around them all with a contemptuous ease. "Foolish boy. Fine."

He stepped back, darkness gathering in his hands again.

"Die."

That black lightning spear.

In a moment of clarity, I realized my situation.

Cordelia was directly behind me. If I dodged, she would be dead for sure, if she wasn't already-

No. She was alive. She had to be.

But... even if I wanted to, I couldn't.

Slow. Far too slow.

Arrogant. Delusional.

Not serious. Because I wasn't serious, it led to this.

I could have made more plans. Could have been more careful. Could have talked with Robin more to make sure things went well. Could have asked him to learn more about how I fought to avoid this scenario.

I didn't, because I wasn't serious. I still believed that this was just a dream. That this wasn't really happening to me. Because of that, because I was arrogant, because I was so _STUPID_ this was the end.

...I hate myself.

I hate my self that was so weak.

I hate my self that was so arrogant as to never bother learning more about this world.

I hate my self that couldn't save a girl in front of him, even if his life depended on it.

The black lightning spear filled my view.

Regret, anger, and rage filled my mind.

I rejected it. Rejected this weak self that couldn't even protect one person. Rejected this idiotic belief that everything would go well just because I was there.

But I couldn't do anything. I wasn't anyone special. I was just an ordinary person who had been thrown into this world. I wasn't a self insert. I wasn't a special snowflake. I wasn't even smart enough to learn more about why this had happened, or naive enough to at least enjoy it while I could.

I had strange powers, but they weren't mine. I had borrowed a name, so that I could be by their sides. But it looked like I was just a fake. A delusional person with ideals that lived only in my mind.

So this was the end for me, a pathetic excuse of a man that couldn't even save a single person.

My death was imminent. The inevitable conclusion of a fool.

Even so, I denied it.

A miracle. I needed a miracle.

I wasn't Emiya Shirou. I wanted to save people, but I didn't have any power to do so.

I wasn't Mark, the tactician. I wanted to protect them, but I didn't have the knowledge or skill to do so.

I wasn't even a hero, despite my delusions otherwise.

My hands were weak. My reach was so small so as to not even be able to protect the one in front of me, let alone all those I cared for.

I didn't have the ability to protect them, let alone myself, but I wanted a miracle to do otherwise.

Foolishly selfish. Delusional to the bitter end. Staring at death's door, I felt not fear, but denial.

_If I can obtain the power to save them..._

A meaningless prayer, a fervent wish.

_...I'll give my soul in exchange._

An act of desperation. The final hope of a man who had only regrets.

I died... and a Guardian was born.

"What-?"

Validar saw that I wasn't alive. His eyes widened in surprise, and then fear. "No... the contract!"

He swung his arm back, trying to cast another spell.

I raised my own arm in defiance.

-Pain. PAin. PAIN.

I felt my body burn up from the inside. Felt my blood boil as it evaporated from the heat it was generating.

An odd feeling of disassociation, of watching my body move on its own, of myself swinging my sword that was glowing with golden light.

"Excalibur."

A crack. For a moment, I saw the air distort, bend. An image overlapped my sword, one of something that was sacred, a miracle trained by the heart alone.

It passed, and then Validar was annihilated in a blast of golden light, along with everything behind him.

It hurt. It hurt. My mind and my body.

It hurt, but I persevered.

A crippling headache, like a vice clamped against my skull while a bomb exploded within. Pressure from inside and out threatening to drive me insane.

Through it, I recalled the name of the spell that could save her.

I walked over to Cordelia.

She was in bad shape, blood pooling and her face pale.

But she wasn't dead.

"Curaga."

Another crack, the air distorting, and the feeling of my heart racing, overclocking.

It settled, and then Cordelia was fine. The gaping hole in her chest was gone, as if it didn't exist.

-Pain. I couldn't breathe. My chest hurt, and my head felt like it was going to explode.

I calmed myself and took a slow breath, ignoring my body's protests.

It was fine. Cordelia was fine. I was fine.

Adjustments. My body was only adjusting.

Footsteps racing down the halls. Lucina.

She stared at me, her face deathly pale and took a step back. "Oh no... Uncle Mark, you...?"

The sound of more footsteps interrupted her, and the Shepherds came into view.

Seeing them all safe and sound, I smiled and let go of my fading consciousness.

"Mark!"

I heard Lyn call out, but by then I was too far gone.

* * *

Voices.

"So he did it after all."

They were unfamiliar.

"...I warned you that this would happen. His very presence..."

That one I knew. It was Naga.

"...No. You cannot have him. His soul belongs to us. He cannot sign a contract with this World."

A female voice, different from Naga's, and yet somehow familiar.

"You have no jurisdiction here, Alaya. Even if his origin is from Gaia, _he_ is not. Besides... such a miserable fool is needed in this chaotic new future."

A male voice, one I remembered hearing a long time ago. He was the one who had argued with Naga.

The sensation of being scrutinized.

"...I see. Yes, this is not he after all. Only a fragment, a copy at that."

I tried to open my eyes. This was something important. Something I needed to know.

"We'll leave him alone to combat the Destroyer and maintain the balance, Historian, but you will pay the consequences if he fails."

A snort, and the male voice spoke. "Of course I will. Now go along and do whatever you cosmic forces need to do."

The atmosphere lightened.

"...Man, what a mess this became. I didn't think it would get this chaotic. You really screwed things up, Wizard. But I suppose you signing that contract balances it out a bit."

What? Contract?

"This will be the last time I show up, you know? Since you actually finalized it, you're going to be the only one helping them. The Awakening, Naga... all of it won't be happening now. But I suppose if it's you... Anyway, good luck man. You're going to need it."

Wait, what are you-

"Be a bit more serious now, won't you? This isn't a dream, and you won't wake up if you die. Their lives are in your hands."

* * *

I woke up with a start.

A quick look around showed that it was the war room, and that I had been left leaning against a chair. It also showed that I wasn't alone.

Lyn was on my right, standing protectively by my side. She was the first to notice I was awake, and cast me an irritated look, though it turned to relief.

_Oops..._ I must have worried her. It _was_ a bit reckless to go off on my own when an assassination attempt was imminent...

Robin and Chrom were there as well, sitting at the head of the round war table. Emmeryn was by their side with a calm smile on her face.

But I didn't pay much attention to them. I didn't even pay attention to Lucina, who was standing in front of them without her Marth disguise.

No, my gaze was on the man standing next to Lucina, the one with startling white hair and an aged face.

He turned towards me with a bitter smile. "Well... you've gone and screwed everything up, haven't you?"

A familiar expression, one I had seen all too many times. No, not just the expression, but rather the face itself...

"...Crap."

Rufure... no, the future me let out a sigh. "Yeah... you really should have just kept sleeping that day out in the fields."

* * *

A/N: More shenanigans! Much angst, much drama, much foreshadow!

Ahaha, on a more serious note, this was pretty fun to write. Needed to take a break from my other stories and just get back into the flow of things, as I didn't have time to write as the holidays drew near. I've got today and tomorrow to do only that though, so hopefully it's enough time to get some updates out.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll see you in the next. Happy holidays!


	9. Paralogue: To Err

**_Paralogue: To Err_**

The future me sighed.

A splitting headache.

The future 'me' sighed.

I sighed. 'I' was standing before 'myself'.

Pain... PaIn... PAIN.

A story of another world. Of another time.

I was with the Shepherds. Using Mark's name and his powers, I did everything I could to help them.

The divergence began here. This night.

A decision to give everything up to save her. To save the one in front of me, I gave everything to obtain the power to do so.

It didn't make sense. How could it make sense?

_Different timelines...?_

A Counter Guardian. A concept from the writings of Kinoko Nasu. Fate/Stay Night. Ordinary individuals could sign their afterlife to the World in order to obtain a 'miracle', power beyond Humanity. At least that was my understanding of it.

Unbound by time, they are deployed in moments where Humanity is on the verge of annihilation, whether through their own means or other forces.

The contract was signed, and I obtained power in exchange for my life after death.

Validar's assassination attempt failed. Emmeryn moved to the other manor in order to be safe from assassins and Gangrel's forces and was kidnapped by Plegian forces, the brought before Gangrel-

A contradiction. Rufure killed Gangrel and Aversa, so that's impossible.

Another contradiction. Robin remembered me as a 'knight', and he doesn't remember the 'me' standing in front of us next to Lucina.

'I' am a unique existence. There cannot be more than one of 'me' present in the same timeline. Therefore the 'me' calling himself Rufure can't be 'me'. Though we might have the same origins, we should be different...

But he's not.

A paradox. He is without a doubt the 'me' from this timeline extended into the future.

Rufure was already present in 'my' memories from the start.

A stable time loop then? No, that wouldn't be necessary.

A time slip? Using the Outrealm gates to head to a parallel world with a timeline that is mostly similar?

"This... is...?"

My surroundings were starting to blur. I heard someone talking, and people call out the name 'Mark'.

Mark... that wasn't me.

Right. My name is...

* * *

My eyes opened in an instant, and my surroundings came into view.

Water splashing along a shoreline, green grass all around.

I had the strangest sensation of déjà vu.

"What?"

It didn't make sense. Wasn't I just with everyone in Castle Ylisse? How did I end up out he-

Static. My head throbbed when I tried to recall how I arrived here.

"Gah..."

I shook my head. Something wasn't right.

I looked over at the water, and the reflection affirmed it.

White hair, an aged face, shimmering back into my regular appearance.

Static.

"Lu...cina? Al...ex? Huh?"

I said those names without realizing it, and was struck with an odd sense of urgency.

"Lucina. Alex. Right... those two were-"

Static.

I tried to recall who they were, but was met with a void in my memories.

"Have to meet them. Have to find them..."

My body moved on its own, and I found my hand reaching towards a sword at my side.

Familiar. It was a Runesword that I had reinforced, one crafted using Projection magic and-

Huh? Since when could I use Projection magic...?

* * *

I was in Castle Ylisse. I didn't know how or why I was there, but before I knew it I was kneeling in front of Emmeryn.

"...Are you certain you wish to become a knight, Mark?"

"Yes," I said. "There is nothing more that I could desire than protecting the realm."

She gave me a strange look, and then nodded. "Very well. Rise, Sir Mark."

"Milady!"

Phila protested the appointment, but Emmeryn ignored her and gave me a warm smile.

* * *

A familiar scene. Robin and Chrom were talking in the courtyard. I had noticed them on my patrol, but thought nothing of it.

There was someone at my side. A flash of red hair, a calm smile.

"I see! So if you angle a spear like that, you achieve the maximum distance?"

I nodded, returning her smile with one of my own.

* * *

Blood. Corpses.

"No!"

I parried a sword strike from an assassin and held out my hand.

She hadn't realized it yet. Another assassin sprung from the shadows, blade cutting towards her unprotected back.

A flash of rainbow light, and Lyn appeared to parry the blow.

"Mark? What-"

* * *

"I'm sorry."

Robin closed his eyes, a small smile on his face. "No... this is how it should be, Mark. Thank you."

* * *

I was standing in front of the desecrated corpses of my comrades, the Risen corpses of those undead forces controlled by Grima.

"Go."

"But-"

Lucina's voice answered me. Hesitant.

They had chased us here, to the ruins of time.

I couldn't fail. I couldn't let their sacrifices be in vain.

"Lucina, go! Take everyone and run ahead! I'll meet you there!"

I stepped forward, the Runesword in hand, and drew the attention of the undead.

"Oi-! You can't really expect us to leave you behind, Uncle Mark!?"

Brady's voice.

"Y-yeah! Now's not the time for you to be a hero!"

Cynthia's voice.

I swung my blade, letting out a wave of darkness at the undead.

A brief moment.

I cast my head back towards the children, the last of our hopes.

Various expressions. Grim, accepting, some of denial.

Severa shook her head. "No! You can't- You promised you wouldn't leave me!"

"GO! There's no time!"

"But-"

A boy with red hair grabbed her arm. "We have to go, Sis!"

"Alex- No! I won't! Da-"

I cast Aero and shoved them back into the magic circle.

A flash of light, shining with every color of the rainbow, filled the ruins.

When it faded, I was by myself, standing in front of the undead Shepherds.

xxx

"You cannot change fate."

A shadowy figure dressed in a faded emerald cloak. Behind him was an undead army, Dead Lords of the highest caliber, along with Grima.

"Like hell!"

I was standing in front of the Shepherds.

The final battle. The enemy wasn't Robin, but rather-

* * *

_Wake up._

* * *

_Excerpt from Old Hubba's journal._

_Time travel. A curious thing. _

_There are many Outrealms through the gates, some that may even be identical save for a few minor differences, like marriages and children._

_There are even some which are identical in every way. Complete copies, existing congruently with each other with the only difference being time. Using these 'copies', it is possible to change the future, in a manner of speaking. _

_World A, and World B. By crossing over and changing events in World B, set in the past, it becomes irrevocably different from World A, simultaneously collapsing World A through this divergence due to their resonance._

_In that manner of speaking, one may 'change the future' through this method, erasing the previous world entirely and replacing it with a new World A._

_However. _

_There must be no mistake. Though it has the same effects, this method is not time travel._

_What is being done is modifying the record of one world intricately tied to another, such that the former is destroyed and the latter becomes the former. Creation and destruction, with such a seamless integration that there is the illusion of time being changed._

_Time travel, in the manner of remaining in the same world and stepping back into the past is impossible. _

_No... not impossible, but rather taboo. Even the Fell Dragon dare not attempt such a feat, for the fear of unmaking existence in its entirety._

_Taking the river of time, bending it upon itself in a higher dimension to reroute the flow of fate at an earlier point... such a feat is not only reckless, but comes at too high a cost. Failure results in the destruction of every world associated with that world in which it is attempted._

_Success... is perhaps worse. _

_An infinite loop, where the observer becomes separate from all creation, forced to follow the course of Fate and unable to change it, despite their attempts. _

_The soul cannot take such an experience. As infinite and eternal it may be, even the absolute will shatter beneath the unending tides of the past, present, and future bent in such a manner._

_And so the observer is doomed to break, with only Fragments of their self remaining after their effort..._

* * *

A/N: Messing with time is a bad idea. Meeting your future self is also a bad idea.

Also, time paradoxes are killer.

Mostly glimpses into the future(?) and fleshing out some bits. Might be confusing, but that's the idea.

Anyway, hope it was somewhat entertaining to read, despite mostly being a ramble to get creative juices flowing on my end.

Until the next!


	10. Id - Redux

Chapter 8: Id - Redux

I stumbled, my vision wavering for a moment as a flood of memories hit me.

_What-?_

A contract to become a Counter Guardian. Saving Cordelia.

Another me.

No... that wasn't all. It was vague, but hadn't I-?

"Mark? Are you alright?"

Robin came into view.

_...Where am I? _

A quick glance around revealed a mountain trail and the Shepherds marching along it. Chrom was in the lead, but Robin was walking by my side. Lyn was nowhere in sight.

"Did the fatigue settle in?" Robin sighed. "I know I can feel it. But don't worry, Chrom said that we should be there soon. Just... a few more hours or so." He ended his words with a wry smile.

It didn't help my bewilderment any.

"I'm fine, but Robin... what are we doing here? And what happened after Validar tried to assassinate Emmeryn?"

The white-haired tactician gave me a strange look. "You... don't remember?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't. And where's Lyn?"

Robin blinked. "Lyn...?" He frowned and fixed me with an intense look. "Are you sure you're alright? Maybe you should take a break in the supply wagon for a bit-"

"Tell me."

Robin paused, and then gave me a curt nod. "Well... after the assassination attempt, Chrom and the others thought it would be a good idea to move Emmeryn to the eastern palace while we seek aid from Ferox against Plegia. Since that's how things originally went, I agreed and here we are."

I frowned. "Against Plegia...? Did Validar escape and take it over that quickly?"

This time, Robin frowned. "...No. Gangrel's still king. Don't you remember?"

"No. I don't."

It was concerning. I could have sworn that Gangrel was dead. The other 'me' had killed him with a blast of Thordain when Maribel had been held hostage.

Was I remembering things wrong? Or... was there something else going on here that I wasn't aware of?

I glanced at the sword on my side. Without thinking about it, I muttered a brief aria that should have been meaningless.

"Trace, on."

A sense of awareness that wasn't there before expanded before my eyes. Like seeing color for the first time while having been blind your whole life, I realized that I had 'circuits' in my body and could see the 'prana' coursing through them. Not only that, but I recalled spells, magic, abilities that I knew I couldn't perform, and yet _knew_ I could.

That sense of awareness happened the moment I spoke those words, but that wasn't the most confusing part. No, that was when the aria finished and actually did the job of what its original caster used it for.

-Trace on. A brief aria that Emiya Shirou from Fate/Stay Night usually used to begin all his magic, such as projection, reinforcement, and structural grasping.

It was that last usage that the aria performed, and I found myself frozen in my tracks at what I learned.

"I-I think I'll take you up on that offer to rest in the wagon, Robin."

The tactician sighed, and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "It's alright to admit you're tired, Mark. Go ahead, I'll tell the others."

I gave him a curt nod and headed towards the wagon, all the while my gaze never shifting from the sword at my side.

xxx

I had commandeered the supply wagon for my usage, booting Anna after a severe glare, and then sat down in the back with the Runesword drawn in front of me, that golden blade reflecting my appearance in the dim light.

"This is impossible."

I stared at the Runesword, willing the information I was gaining from it to fade away. To be wrong.

But it wasn't.

According to the 'accumulated history' of that sword, or at least all that I could glean from it through my imitation of Structural Grasping, I had owned the sword for almost all of eternity.

And when I said that, I wasn't talking figuratively. No, apparently the sword was as old as time itself, even older if that was even possible.

I rubbed my forehead, trying to wrap my mind about this impossible situation.

Alright. To start off, the last thing I remembered was me jumping in front of Cordelia to save her- no, that wasn't it. I had tried to save her, but was too slow. Instead, I made a deal with Alaya, or whatever higher power had accepted my offer, to gain power to save her, to gain a miracle.

Wait... I could remember what happened next. That was right, there had been something about 'me'. Something about a-

_paradoxdistortionerrorcompensation_

-version of me walking around that wasn't 'me' but really was.

As I realized that, things started getting weird.

I vaguely recalled being a knight of Ylisse, failing to save any of the Shepherds except Robin.

I recalled something about a ritual in a ruined future, sending back the children to try and... do something.

And then... and then...

A soft and rhythmic dripping brought me out of my thoughts. I blinked, and saw that the source of the sound was blood, coming from my nose in a steady stream.

"What the...?"

I brushed the blood away, but then a blinding headache turned my vision white.

"Gah... the hell...?"

As if to add to my troubles, I felt searing heat inside my cloak, the sensation of burning hot metal pressed against my skin.

I jumped to my feet and threw my cloak off. In the process, something silver flew out of it, clattering along the wooden floor of the wagon.

I cautiously examined it, and realized that it was the card that Anna had given me.

I hesitated in picking it up, but seeing as it didn't scorch the bottom of the wagon or anything, I decided to risk touching it.

There was a flash of iridescent light, and then the card changed. Instead of the business card, or rather credit card, that it had appeared to be, now there was something like a tarot card in its place. A blank tarot card.

It wasn't blank for long.

As I stared at it, the card shimmered, the words 'Scattered Memories' flashing across its face for a brief moment before settling into the form of a familiar Sacaen.

Lyn blinked inside the card and looked around with a puzzled face before noticing me. _Mark? Where am I? And... why do I feel as if this has happened before?_

The words weren't said out loud, but were transmitted directly into my mind. If I were to describe it, it was like when you wore headphones and the sound seemed to come from the center of your head than outside.

"I... don't know."

That was what was wrong. I didn't know, and yet I knew that I _knew_ what I didn't know. Like... the knowledge was there, but I couldn't retrieve it. Or rather, I could retrieve it, but there were so many conflicting pieces of information, so many things that _just didn't make sense_ that I didn't know what to think.

Was I a Counter Guardian now? Is that why my memories were jumbled?

Was I even alive?

No, most importantly... just what the hell had happened to cause Gangrel to come back to life and time to be moved forward a day without me noticing it?

"Lyn... what's the last thing you remember?"

_I'm not sure... I think I remember fighting against you in a tournament, and then following you on your journey. After that, my memories are blank._

Alright. So Lyn remembered coming along with us after Regna Ferox. The divergence, or whatever happened, occurred after that.

So what do I remember?

We headed back because Maribelle was kidnapped.

_Mark... I think I'm going to rest. I'm feeling... tired..._

"Huh? Lyn? Wait... Lyn!"

Her picture faded away, leaving only an empty card where she was.

I tried calling her name a few more times after that, but there was no response.

I shook my head. _This is bad._

I didn't know what had happened, but from the looks of things time had... reset somehow. _New game plus, maybe?_

Whatever happened, all that mattered was that the timeline was back on track to how it was in the game. Robin didn't seem to remember what happened, and it looked like we never ran across Lyn and the other Heroic Spirits back at Regna Ferox.

I leaned on my back and stared at the wagon's ceiling. "What's going on...?"

The wagon stopped, and someone peered in through the entrance.

I glanced towards the person, and saw that it was Robin. That was something I should have expected. He was the tactician, after all, so he would check up on me if I felt or acted off. "Hey Robin-"

"Mark." A serious tone of voice. Sharp.

I sat up.

The playful and concerned Robin from earlier was replaced by the veteran I remembered before waking up wherever or whenever _here_ was.

Robin stepped inside the wagon. "What happened? One minute I'm talking to Chrom and that Rufure guy in Ylisstol, and the next I'm here on this mountain trail, Gangrel is apparently still alive, and _the timeline is back to normal_!"

He pulled his hair and started pacing. "What's going on? Did Naga reset the timeline? Did we fail and get sent back in time?"

I got to my feet and sighed. "I don't know, Robin. All I can remember is talking to Rufure too, and then-" I frowned, realizing something Robin had said. "Wait. You said the timeline is back to normal?"

"Isn't it obvious? The date's the same, Emmeryn is with us... We have to do something, Mark! If history plays out like it did in the past-"

I grabbed Robin's shoulder. "Robin. What do you mean _the timeline is back to normal?!_"

He blinked. "Can't you remember? What happened when we met, Regna Ferox-"

I held up a hand. "Hold on. Start from the beginning. I have a feeling that we're remembering different things."

* * *

After a brief discussion and information between us, I realized two things.

One, we hadn't gone forward or backward in time. Instead, it looked like we had 'slipped' into a different timeline completely, since we never ran across Lyn or Shirou, according to Robin's memories.

Two, Robin had memories of when I ran across the Shepherds back at Southtown and met him there, and now of this timeline, when I apparently met him from the get go, and the two of us were found unconscious on the plains by Chrom and Lissa.

"...I hate time travel."

Robin sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, I'm starting to hate it too."

"So what now? If the timeline's back on course, then that advisor should betray us soon, right?"

Robin nodded. "That's right. And then Cordelia should fly in, and Emmeryn should head back to Ylisstol."

I frowned. "...Can we save her?"

"I don't know. We might have been sent back to the original timeline, according to what you told me and what I remember, or we might be in a new one entirely. There are too many variables at play, too many unknowns..."

I gave him a wry smile. "Then we're back to square one."

He nodded, matching my smile with one of his own. "Not quite. You have your 'magic' now, right? And I can still use some of my powers as Grima's Avatar."

"...Wait. Is that what you've been doing the whole time?"

Robin gave me blank look. "...Wasn't it obvious?"

"Right. Nevermind." I shook my head. "So, the plan..."

"Don't let anyone die. Other than that, just try not to reveal all your powers. We don't know who's watching."

* * *

We were back on the road. Robin had taken a place next to Chrom, discussing various tactics with the lord and some future courses of action. The Shepherds were all around, mingling and probably starting up various support conversations among themselves.

Seeing that reminded me of how I wasn't really close with any of the Shepherds. I should probably get to know them soon...

Lissa jogged to my side. "_Mark_! Don't... don't just ignore me!"

_Another downside to temporal paradoxes and resolutions..._

Apparently in this timeline, Lissa was even more interested in me than in the previous one. If I had to put it in terms of the game, I would say that I had somehow increased the support level between us to A without trying.

Needless to say, I would be doing everything in my power to prevent that from rising higher.

I decided to draw the Runesword and reexamine it.

"Oh, come on! What's so cool about that sword anyway?! I could have Frederick give you a dozen swords, you know! And-"

"Trace, on."

The borrowed Aria was spoken, and I gained a sudden insight into the sword's accumulated history. It wasn't much, but it let me piece together some of what had happened, at least.

Divergent timelines, winding back upon themselves like a web. Not linear, or even circular, but spiraled, spreading out from and drawing back to a single point.

'My' memory started when I woke up that day on the shores, but apparently 'I' had existed in this world longer than that.

...Yeah, I didn't understand it at all, especially since I could only get 'fragments' of those times. It _did_ explain my skills though. Apparently the Runesword acted as a 'key' of sorts to accessing them all through some convoluted metaphysical temporal permanence that diverted the spatial axis along the 5th temporal dimension and distorted reality to a minor level that draws upon the nature of-

I jerked my head up, snapping that train of thought before my mind could try to comprehend what couldn't be comprehended.

Just then, the brigands hiding around the mountain path made their presence known. In the distance, I saw that hierarch person get cut down by the commander of the bad guys, some generic wyvern rider with reddish brown hair.

Robin cut down a brigand that tried to attack Chrom, and then started calling out orders. "Mark, protect the rear! Everyone else, with me!"

"That's my cue!"

"Wait," Lissa said. "Mark!"

I dashed off, leaving the blonde cleric behind, still pouting.

I made sure to fix that by throwing a certain gynophobic swordsman her way.

* * *

Ten minutes had passed. Surprising, considering how short our other battles had been. Granted, they hadn't covered as much ground as this one seemed to.

"Die, Ylissean scum-!"

"Defeat."

My would be attacker crumpled to the ground, joining the dozen or so of his comrades that had tried the same.

I took a moment to stare at them, and then said, "This is kind of cheap, isn't it?"

"DIIIEEE-"

"X-zone."

A void opened up in the path of my next would be attacker, and he vanished into the dimensional rift between worlds... or whatever the X-zone was.

"...Can't say it's not fun though."

It was kind of cool being a one-man army and all. It was cheap, of course, since I hadn't really done anything to earn these powers. Well, unless you count sacrificing my eternal soul to some unknown entity on a higher plane, as well as my entire afterlife...

...Okay, maybe it's not as cheap as I thought it'd be now that I think about it.

I sighed. "Well... at least it'll be easy to save Emmeryn later."

I wasn't even winded using my spells, and so far I'd only tried those from Square Enix games. There were still countless others I hadn't touched, like from those from Shin Megami Tensei, various anime, books like Harry Potter...

"...I just became a broken self-insert type of character, didn't I?"

Granted, it was at a high price, but at this rate it'd be easy to beat even Grima, wouldn't it?

"Prince Chrom! Captain Phila!"

A distant voice drew me out of my somewhat depressing realization.

I glanced towards it, and saw a figure in the sky growing closer. "Red hair, Pegasus... Cordelia? Ah, right... this is the chapter you recruit her."

"Enemy reinforcements to the rear!"

Sure enough, I could see an advancing group of soldiers in the distance.

_Wait. Weren't they supposed to be half a day's journey away?_

I hadn't played the game in a long time, but I was _sure_ that they weren't so close.

"They'll be upon us-"

A strange sensation. Not quite danger, and not quite fear, but an urgent feeling all the same swept through me. An instinctual reaction telling me to _move_, or else I would regret it in the next few moments.

I didn't hesitate and dashed off in the direction I was drawn to, where my instincts_ (were they really?) _told me to go.

A buildup of mana, something I could only detect now after becoming whatever I counted as now, filled the air.

_Acceleratle. Haste. Double Accel. Sukukaja. _

I applied as many speed buffs as I could, somehow _knowing_ it was the right thing to do.

Purple lightning filled the sky-

"No!" Cordelia said. "Not here... not yet!"

-and a devastating blast of _Bolting_ flew towards Cordelia. The moment before it struck-

"Nulshock!"

A white magic spell from Final Fantasy to nullify lightning-based magic.

Conflicting magic systems clashed, as one tried to overpower the other. Lightning crashed against a magical array forbidding its presence. The result-

_CRASH._

-a thunderous explosion that filled the air and knocked Cordelia off her Pegasus.

I didn't need to think. Before I knew it, I had already intercepted her fall,_ (Live to Lie and Lie to Live)_ using some form of levitation that I didn't even know to stay in the air.

Cordelia blinked, and looked at me with wide eyes. "What...? Who are you?"

I was caught off guard at the question. _Didn't I meet her at Ylisstol...? Wait, that was the other timeline. So have we not met yet?_

Lost in thought, I didn't pay attention to the words coming out of my mouth. "Well, Cordelia, I'm... your hero, I guess?"

"I beg your pardon?"

I quickly set her down and changed the subject. "Ahem. You were saying something about enemy reinforcements to the rear? I assume it's them?"

"Huh? Ah, yes. Those are the enemy reinforcements..." Cordelia trailed off and then gave me an intense look. "But before that, do I know you, perchance? You seem... familiar, for some reason."

I was saved from any more awkward questions by the arrival of Cordelia's Pegasus.

"Well, looks like you're safe," I said. "Our tactician told me to take care of the rear, so I'm heading out to do just that now. Try to keep safe, alright, Cordelia?"

With that, I tried my best to dash off, like I did to Lissa. Unfortunately, Cordelia wasn't quite as slow as her and grabbed my arm before I could escape.

"Wait, sir-"

"Your knight-sisters gave you a job, Cordelia. Go warn the Exalt. I'll take care of things here."

It might have been cruel on my part to say that, and I didn't even know why I was so hesitant about talking to her, but the truth _was_ that we didn't have much time.

Cordelia seemed to realize that, as she got back on her Pegasus. "...You're right. But sir, after this I would like some answers."

With that said, Cordelia flew off towards the Shepherds, making sure to stay low this time to avoid any more siege spells.

Staring at her retreating figure, I could only say, "Yeah. You and me both."

I turned back towards the advancing Plegian army and narrowed my eyes. "Right... you guys just tried to kill someone I signed a contract to save. Bad idea, guys."

They couldn't hear me, of course, and there wasn't a reason for me to talk either. Neither was there a reason for me to use the spell I chose then and there.

"Ultima."

* * *

Chrom raised an eyebrow at me and said, "So you're telling me that _you_ did that, Mark."

"Er... yes."

"...A wagon full of Spirit Dust. That's gotta be it," Chrom muttered.

Robin pinched the bridge of his nose. "When I said 'protect the rear', I didn't mean 'create a mile wide crater in the mountain pass', Mark."

The battle had ended a while ago. Apparently, my little display with negating the Bolting had caused the Plegians to hesitate enough for the Shepherds to rout the enemy in front of them. Cordelia had arrived not long after that with the news of reinforcements from the rear, and that I intended to confront them.

Which led to the current situation, me being interrogated by Robin and Chrom in the War Tent we temporarily set up, while Lissa tried to dissuade Emmeryn from heading back to Ylisstol outside.

"...Yeah, I don't know why I did that either."

It _was_ a bit overkill to cast Ultima in a world where 100 hit points was pushing the HP cap.

"I can fix it, though. Just give me a few minutes and-"

Robin sighed. "No. It's better to leave it like that for now. We don't have to worry about enemy reinforcements, at least." He looked at me from head to toe and said, "Are you sure you're alright though? I was half-expecting you to drop to the floor when we caught up."

I waved off his concerns. "I'm fine, just fi-"

"...And there he goes."

* * *

Myself. Darkness.

Everything was dark. The world, the future, the past. Everything was dark.

Despite the darkness, the lack of _feeling_ and _emptiness_ that gnawed at me, I existed. In this empty expanse, I was still there, staring at the abyss.

A voice echoed through the dark, menacing and familiar, with a hint of reverence.

"Master Grima, Exalt Emmeryn is to be put to death on the morrow. Events will soon be back on course."

Validar bowed before me.

_"Good... then at last, this will all be over. Fate shall correct itself, as expected, and you shall fulfill your role."_

A different voice. Familiar, and one I should _know_ and yet one I couldn't place.

Validar got to his feet, a malevolent grin on his face. "Ha ha, yes, I should never have doubted the truth of your words. The yoke of destiny cannot be cast off! Even as they resist, they write your future with every step, O great one!"

_"Indeed... my future is being written with every action they make. It is inevitable."_

Shadows gathered in the distance behind Validar, familiar faces twisted with darkness and grief...

_"The Fell Dragon shall rise, and this world shall die. Yes... all will be as it is meant to be..."_

* * *

_It is inevitable._

* * *

...You who gaze upon this world. What is the truth that you see? What is the truth that you seek?

Those who would don the name of a legendary figure must be prepared to embrace the Fate the name carries.

A hero who would sacrifice himself to protect all of humanity without hesitation.

A tactician fated to vanish upon the end of the tale without a trace.

A man who would embrace the heart of the Fell Dragon itself...

Names have power. They grant those who would fulfill their legend enormous strength and ability, but also burden them with an impossible fate.

Be warned, for failing to see the path through to the end will-

* * *

A/N: More shenanigans! So time doesn't like being messed with and will reset when stretched too far, apparently. And whoo, I'm now a cheat character that can beat any character in Awakening in a single blow!

Of course, that means that the enemy must have been powered up accordingly... that's not going to end well.

Anyway, hope this was a fun read, if not at least interesting. I'll be seeing you next time, when things kick up a notch as the true antagonist makes his ploy.


	11. Ego - His Story

Chapter 9: Ego - His Story

* * *

He had been thrown into a world he didn't remember, one that he once adored. It was a wish upon the stars, a fancy that was heard and granted: What if?

What if he could go to that world and fight by their sides? What if he could be a hero, take on all the evil in that world and crush them. Eliminate all despair so that those who earned it could live happily ever after?

A fanciful thought. A wishful dream.

Even if he wanted to, he was just a man. Ordinary, average.

Even if he somehow made it there, he wasn't a fighter. He wasn't a hero. Trying to change anything would only lead to a path that he couldn't help fix.

Even so, he had thought "what if?".

Some time passed and that thought was forgotten, until one day, he found himself there.

-It had been forgotten. Who he was, where he came from, or why he wanted to aid them. Still, he remained.

He was weak, but determined. If he was to aid them, then he would throw his all into it.

And he had. Fighting against his death countless times, cursing himself to continue past where any man would give up... he became a hero that could protect them. Alongside the peerless tactician and the one who took over the role of the Exalt after his sister's death, they triumphed over the undefeatable tyrant that conquered millions.

When the Fell Dragon rose, it was all but inevitable that they would win.

-But Fate had other plans.

Grima cannot be defeated save by the power of the Divine Dragons or by his own. And due to 'his' presence, the existence that defiled Fate and rejected the World, Naga would not grant the Awakening.

He was doomed to despair.

An inevitable outcome. Before he could remember it, history had come to the nexus point, and Chrom had been slain. When he had, it was too late.

* * *

...All around him were the bodies of his comrades. The Shepherds that he had grown alongside with, that he had sworn to protect. The friends that he had become strong enough to defend were dead.

It was the end of those halcyon days, the idyllic and happy times he had enjoyed.

The setting was the Dragon's Table, or what remained of it. Rubble was scattered all around a devastated landscape. The sandy dunes were glassed, transmuted through the constant streams of energy being emitted by the eldritch dragon hovering above.

-A tragedy. Robin had stood there with horror in his eyes, but was unable to stop himself from attacking those he once guided, once protected. Forced against his will by the Fell Dragon, he had slain each and every one of the comrades who sought to bring him back.

Only 'he' remained.

-What if?

That thought returned to 'him' when Robin killed 'his' friends. He had remembered who he was, along with what powers he was gifted upon entering this world.

_-What if I could prevent this tragedy from occurring?_

With that thought driving him as his sole source of determination, he defeated the Dragon and returned to Ylisse, hailed as a savior and exalted as a Hero to rival them all.

With that accursed thought, he had returned to the thirteen children who were now orphans, the ones who had been left behind.

_-What if I could save them?_

Resolute, he devised a method to turn back time. In exchange for his life, he would prevent the tragedy. The children would return to the past, armed with the ability and knowledge to subvert Fate.

_-It didn't work. Not this time. Not the last. How many more times...? How many more times do I have to see them die?!_

After countless trials, he realized it.

As one separate from the World, he was unable to alter it. Because he was an 'Outrealmer', from the start the outcome had been determined: That world was doomed to perish.

But he couldn't allow it. Wouldn't. If the World itself was his enemy, if he had to become Evil incarnate in order to reach that ending...

The sorrow on the children's faces when he returned alone. How many times had it been that he heard their cries for parents that would never return? How many curses had he been dealt?

-That if he had survived, why had the others not?

They couldn't understand, and he didn't wish for them to understand.

For their sakes, and for his mistakes, he would change it.

...Even if it meant that 'he' would be lost to all of time while another took his place.

* * *

_Excerpt from Old Hubba's journal._

_Historian. That is the name and title given to those who stand outside of the bounds of time and space. The observers that record the passage of Fate in worlds, each possessing a Chronicle of its history. _

_They continually peruse all paths that may occur, and incite new ones to see which worlds possess the most potential. To find those individuals who can overturn even the absolute. _

_Neither good nor evil, they are those who stand above order and chaos, those who are not born but simply exist, those with powers that are constant and yet variable._

_...There is a legend about them. That of one who tried to deny his role. A nameless figure who once strode across the plains with a noblewoman by his side as they sought her heritage. That of another who crossed the Fates of entire worlds to find the one he loved after her death._

_In both cases, Chaos was inflicted upon their worlds, the natural order disrupted in order to find the absolute path to a brilliant future, the sole thread in a tapestry of infinite possibilities. _

_-The courage to fight against the will of the world itself._

_-The naivety that created a belief they could deny Fate itself._

_-The determination to carry that delusion through until it became a reality, inscribed in all of creation._

_They are the Fools that will create a new World, wielding the power of the Universe itself in order to do so._

_...Even if the Gods themselves would stand in their way._


	12. Id - Idea

Chapter 10: Id - Idea

* * *

I woke up with a start. My body pained all over, and my veins felt like they were filled with molten steel. Fatigue hung heavy on my mind, which was still foggy from sleep, but it quickly vanished in the face of the agony that permeated to my very bones.

That was the first thing I noticed. The second was that I was on a bed, and the third was that Lissa lay asleep with her head on the side of my bed. She was holding on to a staff. It looked like she was the one who had been taking care of me while I was unconscious.

I took a moment to think and let out a long breath. _Note to self: casting end game level spells is a bad idea until I figure out how much mp/mana/or whatever is used for magic I have._

I was in a room. From the stone walls, snowy terrain outside, and the fact that I was freezing, we were probably back at Regna Ferox.

The last thing I could recall was... _That's right._ Cordelia. We had been escorting Emmeryn to the other palace, since Gangrel had declared war and assassins had attacked the palace. It was the chapter where Cordelia first made her appearance in the game.

I had felt a sudden _urge_ to save her, and gone all out in doing so. After that, I remembered talking to Chrom and Robin a bit, and then...

_(Darkness, regret, despair. I couldn't save them. I can't save them! Why didn't I remember who I was earlier!?) _

A flurry of emotions and thoughts that I could only barely comprehend. Yet, before I could process what they meant or what they were, they had vanished, leaving only an impression of negativity behind.

I shook my head. Whatever those had been, it wasn't as important as getting a grasp on the situation and deciding what I was going to do next.

Especially considering the fact that I had a girl practically using my leg as a pillow.

_Think._

I now possessed the ability to cast any form of magic I could remember. Using them willy-nilly like I had earlier was plain stupid in hindsight. Didn't I already know that using magic beyond one's capability would have severe repurcussions? I should have stuck to the basics and gradually worked my way up. Not only was that rational, but it would have allowed my versatility to serve as a trump card.

Instead, I had messed around like a teenager with new super powers and ended up bedridden for it. In addition, if there was another enemy at play than Grima, which I was starting to believe there was due to the oddities I noticed, like Bolting being present in this world when it hadn't been in the game, then I had just gone and painted a target on my head as the greatest threat.

Hell, even if it was just Grima at play, I was now the number one target to eliminate.

I sighed and covered my face with a hand.

I wanted to help the Shepherds, not act out some fantasy of being a superhero. Showing off like I had was foolish, childish, and-

"Really, really stupid of you."

My head snapped up at the sudden voice.

I regretted it an instant later and bit back a pained hiss.

Standing in the doorway to my room was the white-haired tactician we all knew and loved. He was also, the only other guy who knew just what kind of crazy time shenanigans had been occuring behind everyone's backs and that I was an Outrealmer.

That fact still didn't keep me from hating his guts when I saw that damned smirk of his though.

Robin looked all too amused at my predicament, and his smirk only widened when he noticed Lissa. "Well, well. You work fast, don't you? Then again, that whole 'suicidal idiot' thing you have going does bring out the mothering instinct in girls... It's kind of unhealthy though, so I'll pass."

Despite his obvious snark and sadistic streak, Robin at least had the decency to keep his tone at a low volume.

God knows I'd run the guy through if I had to deal with both Lissa and all this pain.

"Here. This should help."

He came over and pressed a vial into my hand, the glass cool against my warm skin.

I raised an eyebrow.

At my unspoken question, he said, "It's magic water. Since you in your omnipotent wisdom decided to cast an army-slaying spell, your body's gone into magical shock. That'd be the complete and soul-sucking agony you're feeling right now by the way."

...I was starting to wonder if I rubbed off on Robin more than I thought. I don't think the guy was ever that sarcastic in the game.

"Anyway, this will help your body fight back and get your mana reserves down to some level of balance. It should also make the pain more bearable, so I'd drink it if I were you. Unless you like that sort of-"

"Shut- gragh."

Speaking hurt. Moving hurt. _Damned bastard._

I settled for glaring at the guy and drank the damned vial.

Hurt like all hell trying to remove the stopper, let alone bring the vial to my mouth without spilling anything, but I wasn't about to let him make any more jabs at my expense.

After I was finished, the pain in my body faded, just like he said. Now that I could actually move without feeling like my soul was tearing apart with each action, I got out of my bed, making sure to do so carefully and not wake Lissa.

When I did that, Robin's mirth vanished, replaced with a cool analytic gaze. "Come with me. We need to talk."

With only those words, he walked outside.

Considering the severity in his tone, I followed without hesitation.

_Let's hope that things haven't gone to hell while I was out._

* * *

Robin led me to a room not far from where I had been. Possibly because he was considerate that I was still in pain, but most likely due to convenience. In any case, I found myself standing with the tactician in a dusty storage room.

After a moment's silence, Robin said, "Emmeryn's going to be executed again."

I blinked, but didn't react any more than that. "Of course she is. That's how the timeline should play out, isn't it?"

Robin nodded, but his brows were furrowed. "Yes... but we can stop it this time. And that's the problem." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Should we?"

I froze. _I hadn't thought about that._

Emmeryn was the one who allowed the Shepherds to win the war against Plegia. While the original timeline still had Chrom and the Shepherds win despite Emmeryn dying to an assassination, that was only after a long and bloody war, at least from what I could recall. It was only after her leap that the Plegians had a change a heart.

In either case, she died. Though there was a spotpass chapter where she came back, considering the nature of the spotpass, it was likely that Emmeryn came from a different realm, like Yen'fay had.

The Emmeryn that Chrom and Lissa cared for was slated for death.

We could stop that.

Looking at Robin's expression, I could tell he had the same thoughts I did.

We knew what was going to happen. Even if there were some wildcards at play, with my new powers and Robin's abilities as the Avatar of Grima, we could change things so that she lived.

But should we?

This wasn't the timeline we had started out in. Even if we had memories of it, this wasn't the original path where we began the journey. Someone, or something had shifted us here after "I" had appeared at Ylisstol. If we changed too much, it was possible that unknown factor could come into play.

But... the fear of inaction. That hesitation-

I knew that I wanted to help them. While I hadn't gotten to know most of the Shepherds, Chrom and Lissa at least I had grown close to. Could I allow the fear of something in the dark to stop me from saving their older sister?

_If you would upset the balance this much, then..._

I was responsible for their lives. Though they didn't realize it, I had as much a stake in this as Robin did. While he led them on the battlefield, my role was to ensure that I prevented any tragedies that could occur.

That was why I came here in the first place, wasn't it?

...Well, I didn't remember, but it seemed likely.

In that case, the answer was clear-

"Of course we do. She's Chrom and Lissa's sister. Besides." I gave Robin a wide grin. "I'm a superhero now. Even if the bad guys show up, I'm sure I can take care of them."

"Heh." Robin let out a short laugh.

"What?"

Robin shook his head. "No, it's just... you were like that back then too." He walked towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Prepare yourself. I trust you, Mark. I don't know how or why you have those powers now, and it's probably best if you keep them secret considering..." He trailed off and shook his head. "Anyway, I predict that things will come to a head soon. Before that happens, make sure you've resolved yourself."

I stared at him, trying to figure out his words. _What is he...?_

"Now hurry up and get back to your bed. Gods know Lissa would have a fit if she knew I was keeping you from your rest."

Before I could finish my thought to ask him anything, Robin had left me behind, giving a small wave with that damned smirk of his.

It was only after he left that I realized I didn't actually know where the room that I had woken up in was. And it was only after _that_ I realized I had left Lissa there alone, who was probably going to be beyond angry that I had gone and practically killed myself yet again... even if she didn't remember the first few times it had happened.

_Well... crap._


	13. Id - Fragments

Chapter 11: Id - Fragments

* * *

It had taken a few panicked seconds of trying to remember the path Robin led me before I remembered that I could cast whatever spells I thought of, along with get a sense of what spells would work and what spells would lead me to a terrible fate. The latter mostly because my already strained magic circuits protested at the mere thought of things like 'Megidolaon', 'Ultima', and 'Big Bang'.

Fortunately, casting a simple spell to find Lissa's current position, and in turn my room, wasn't included in that tier of magic.

...Despite the fact that it apparently calculated said position based upon various distortions in the time space continuum caused by temporal pulses.

Long story short, I managed to find my way back to the room I woke up in that day.

Along the way, I realized that it was early morning. _Early_ morning, with moonlight still streaming in through the windows and torchlight still casting long shadows in the hallways. A blindingly obvious detail I had missed when I first woke up due to the (literally) soul rending pain I had been in.

I shook my head as I walked into the room. _How did I miss that? Pain or not, I couldn't have been that out of it... could I?_

I blamed the lack of sleep.

Inside the room, Lissa was still where I had left her.

Sometime between when I left and when I returned, she had grabbed one of the pillows and hugged it tight. Her hair had come undone, and instead of her pig tails, came down against her in long golden curl, meshing perfectly with her yellow dress.

With the moonlight shining down on her as well, she seemed like an entirely different person.

_Throb._

-A pain in my chest. There it was again, that undeniable fact that Lissa was _beautiful_, heart achingly so.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and shook my head. _I can't just leave her sleeping there..._

As annoying as she might be at times, Lissa was someone-

_(I regret that... couldn't save... even if I start again, it won't...)_

_Throb._

-I cared for. Even if I hadn't known her that long, and even if this Lissa wasn't quite the same as the one I had first met here, she was still the same person. Leaving her to sleep in that position when I didn't have any plans to go back to sleep was something I couldn't do.

I reached over to lift her up into the bed-

"No..."

I froze. _Did she wake up?_

Lissa shivered, shifting in her sleep. Her serene sleeping expression shifted to a troubled one, her brows furrowed and looking pained. "Emm... please don't...!"

_Of course._ While I had been out like a light, Lissa had not only been caring for me (at least I assumed so), but had to deal with the stress of Emmeryn's impending death... something which I had inconsiderately forgotten about.

Lissa shivered some more, and I could see her eyes glisten with the beginnings of tears.

I sighed and picked her up. Almost immediately, she dropped the pillow and clung to me like a lifeline. "Don't die. Emm... Mark..."

"...You've had it rough, haven't you? And here I am still treating this like a game..."

I shook my head and gently set Lissa down on the bed. After that, I tucked her under the covers.

"Don't worry Liz. I'll make sure everything works out."

Whether it was due to my words or the warmth of the bed, Lissa stopped shivering and seemed to relax.

Seeing that she was settled, I stood up to leave. It might have still been dark out, but I couldn't afford to be lying around when I could be figuring out ways to ensure our victory. The first order of business would be to get a feel for my body, which had felt... different than I remembered it feeling ever since I made the contract. After that, I needed to sort out the limits to my magic.

I nodded and was on my way out when I heard, "Mark... don't leave me alone again."

I stopped dead in my tracks. _I haven't gotten that close with her yet, have I? And again? ...Nah. It's probably just the stress. Still, if she's that worried about me..._

I made my way back to Lissa and held her hand. Inwardly, I cringed at the sappy nature of the action, but if it helped her, then I could ignore that fact.

"I'm here Liz. I'm here, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon."

As soon as I finished those words, Lissa's eyes snapped open.

I almost had a heart-attack, enhanced body and contract with the devil/Humanity be damned.

"Promise?"

My heartbeat slowed when I saw that her blue eyes were glazed, showing that she was still asleep.

"Promise."

She stared at me for a while longer, long enough that I was starting to wonder if I had been wrong about her being asleep, but then her eyes gradually closed, and her breathing settled to a steady rhythm. Despite that, her hand was now clenched around my own, tight enough that any attempts to pry loose would wake her.

_...Well, I suppose training can wait a few hours. Lissa's done a lot, and if this will help her get some rest..._

I 'projected' a chair behind me and got comfortable.

It was the least I could do (_to make up for breaking my promise)._


	14. Id - Accusation

Chapter 12: Id - Accusation

* * *

Time swiftly passed and the sun had begun to appear over the horizon.

I stifled a yawn and glanced over at Lissa.

The princess was still fast asleep, like she had been for the past few hours. Whatever uneasiness she had felt earlier seemed to have vanished by my presence.

_It should be alright to leave her alone now._

Since it was bright out, she would be waking up soon, along with the other Shepherds.

In other words, I didn't have much time left to myself before the day officially began, bringing with it the duties and planning that Robin was likely to drag me into.

I gently pried my hand out from Lissa's and stood up.

As I rose, the chair beneath me faded into golden motes of light, the magical construct unable to hold its form without contact with me.

A glance around the room led to me finding my Runesword lying nearby, along with my cloak.

Grabbing both, I left the room and prepared to... well, prepare.

_First order of business: find a place to work in private._

It wasn't that I was against training with the Shepherds.

In fact, it was probably best that I start doing so in the near future, considering my lack of interactions with them, and that any of them knew more about fighting than I did.

There was the not too minor problem of me not knowing the limits of my powers, however.

From what I could remember, by signing the 'contract' to save Cordelia, I now essentially had the strength and magic capacity of a 'Heroic Spirit', or Einherjar as they were called here.

Accidently killing someone was a very real possibility, and one I wanted to eliminate as soon as possible.

It was with that in mind that I made my way down the empty stone halls of Castle Ferox.

My footsteps echoed as I walked around, and I didn't encounter a single person in my survey of the place.

"...Where is everyone?" I muttered.

An eerie silence was my answer.

Even if the sun had just risen, I should have run across some people by now.

Servants, guards... after around a half hour of walking around the place, I had encountered none.

A sense of worry manifested as a tingling sensation down my spine.

-This wasn't right.

It was around the time where people should be waking up from their sleep.

Barring that, I knew that the Shepherds had people like Frederick, Sully, and Cordelia, all of whom woke up early for their duties, training, and out of habit, respectively.

The fact that it was dead silent and that there wasn't so much as a mouse scurrying about sent alarms ringing in my head.

_Lissa!_

I had left her all alone.

I didn't know what was going on, but this wasn't looking good.

I quickly retraced my path in my head and turned around to go back-

"Pick a god and pray!"

"Wha-?"

A silver lance surged towards my heart, wreathed in the light of 'Luna'.

A fraction of a second passed where my mind tried and failed to comprehend why I was being attacked.

The lance gleamed, now close enough that I could see my face reflected in it.

My body moved on its own, familiar/unfamiliar instincts taking over.

The ground beneath me gave way and cracked as I lunged backwards ten meters in a split second.

Now at a safer distance, I actually had the time to comprehend what was happening and who had attacked me.

A man in a full suit of heavy armor stood before me, his arm still outstretched where the silver lance had thrust.

_Frederick? _

His brown hair was slightly unkempt, like he had just woken up, but his expression was as severe as I remembered it being when I first met him.

_But why would he...?_

"Prepare yourself, Mark! Shepherd or no, I shall not forgive you for taking advantage of milady's kindness!"

_Taking advantage? What is this I don't even-_

Frederick closed the gap in an instant, his lance spinning in the familiar motions of a critical attack.

My thoughts were cast to the side.

I could think about the how or why this was happening later.

Right now, I had an angry Great Knight to worry about.

"Now!"

I ignored Frederick's battlecry and focused.

I felt my body warm up, hot enough that it felt like molten steel had replaced my blood-

_And that's fine with me._

It was a physiological reaction to the presence of something that hadn't been there before, the magic circuits running through my body where there had once been only blood and veins.

Pain bloomed like a burst of electricity across every part of my body.

I grit my teeth and allowed it, the price I had to pay for doing what I planned so soon after intense magic casting.

Little to no time had passed between Frederick's shout.

Attacking with my sword was out of the question.

Frederick wasn't an enemy, despite his violent behavior, and I didn't want to hurt him.

In a similar vein, casting spells at him weren't viable courses of actions either.

_So, instead of attacking..._

In an instant, time seemed to contract and Frederick had thrust his lance towards my chest.

I could have dodged, but it would only encourage him.

So, I didn't.

Blood dripped to the ground, accompanied by the sound of grating metal.

I sighed, outwardly exasperated, but inwardly thanking my luck that it worked.

-Reinforcement magic. It was an ability that I had first learned of from Fate/Stay Night.

Since I had essentially turned myself into an expie of that universe _(and hit just about every self-insert cliche in the process, now that I think about it) _I could use it.

Not very well, judging from my shredded hand and spasms of pain throughout my body, but well enough to stop Frederick's attack at least.

The Great Knight looked at his weapon with wide eyes.

-Of course. I'd be surprised too if a silver lance had suddenly been reduced to scrap metal by someone's bare hands.

"Now Frederick," I said. "I'm sure that there's been a major misunderstanding here, and as a fellow Shepherd I really don't want to fight you."

He scoffed. "Fellow Shepherd... As if a traitorous liar like you deserves to call himself such."

_What?_

Frederick narrowed his eyes. "Yes, that furrowing of your brows is most convincing, but I will not be fooled! I had believed you in the beginning, though I had my suspicions, as you were willing to undergo my Fitness Hour. But now I see that it was all a ruse, the act of a wolf hiding within the sheep!"

I dropped the remains of his silver lance, so stunned was I at his words.

He stepped back and pointed an accusatory finger at my face. "I know the truth!"

I froze.

_Did he remember the past timeline?_

How could he have? No, that was impossible. In that case, did he find out that I was an Outrealmer? But that wouldn't have led to such hostility.

No, this level of disdain from Frederick had to have come from more than that.

Did he know that I could have saved Emmeryn? Is that what he meant by taking advantage of 'milady's kindness'?

...No. Robin should have kept that knowledge under lock and key. Even as sadistic as the tactician might be at times, no doubt a result from being the Avatar of Grima, he wouldn't do something like that.

So then what was it?

Frederick glared at me and said, "You, Mark..."

I braced myself for whatever accusation was going to come, preparing to rationalize it anyway that I could...

"...are trying to marry your way into the royal family!"

"...Huh?"


	15. Id - Distracted

Chapter 13: Id - Distracted

* * *

Frederick continued to glare at me and said, "Do not try to deny it! It is all too obvious what you intend to do!"

I blinked. _Is he serious?_

Frederick's expression remained serious, as stony as it had been since he had raised his weapon at me.

Had this been any other person, I would have assumed it was a joke and been done with it, but Frederick being Frederick...

I sighed.

"Frederick," I said. "While I can't deny that being a part of the Ylissean Royal Family would be fun-"

"Hah! I knew it!"

"-I don't plan to get married to Lissa."

I said the words calmly and without wavering.

Frederick was the type of person to go on any possible signs of weakness, even if they were imagined, so I made sure to eliminate any possibility of that.

"So then milady is not good enough for you?" Frederick took a step back, lowering his gaze like he would to a despicable person. "To think that you would play with her heart so... how despicable."

"...Alright. Fine. If that's what you think, fine."

I took a step back, shaking off my- right hand that had been wounded in grabbing his spear.

"But I'll have you know that you'd better be prepared to have a bad time."

Frederick stared me down, his knightly pride not budging in the least.

I met his gaze with one of my own. There'd been enough crap going on in my life for me to care about what he thought, and if he wanted to fight that badly, I'd make sure to give as good as I got, consequences be damned.

He twitched, and just as I was about to lunge at him, we were interrupted.

"MARK! FREDERICK! What are you two doing!?"

Lissa stomped down the hallway, her staff clutched in a threatening manner at her side.

At once, Frederick snapped a salute... or as close to one as he could while holding a shattered spear. "Milady."

I sighed. _Well, at least I won't have to explain away Frederick's disappearance..._

xxx

"-And do you even know the trouble I had to go through to keep your mana levels stabalized? Why, if it wasn't for Maribelle helping me, you'd-"

I suppressed a sigh and silently endured Lissa's tirade.

After her timely (or untimely depending on how you saw it) appearance, she had dragged me off back to my room and sat me in my bed to tell me exactly just how stupid of an idea it was for me to be out and about.

Apparently, I had actually gotten my soul shredded, my body shattered, and my mana drained all at once after casting Ultima.

Realistically, I should have been dead on the spot, something that Lissa had been repeating over and over for the past twenty minutes.

I'd also been treated to a lecture on the way magic works, and why how I had used it was a very bad idea.

-Magic in this world was an actualization of 'concepts' that were created through the use of 'equivalent exchange'. In layman's terms, everything had a price.

All magic used tomes, or some sort of medium like staves, to actualize spells. These mediums were for a good reason, as they reduce the 'load' that the user has to deal with in casting the spell. In other words, they contributed to the 'price' of spell casting by being used up in the casting.

The tomes were only one part of the cost, and more of a reducer than necessity. The other part depended on the type of magic being cast.

Anima magic, being the manipulation of worldly phenomena, was fueled by the intrinsic life energy in the spell caster. In turn, the price was exacted through the body in the form of fatigue. Continual casting of magic would leave the user tired, and eventually unconscious as the body works to recover the natural life energy used to power the spell.

Dark magic, which manipulated abstract concepts like space and time, essentially physics, was fueled through knowledge. The more you knew about what you were doing, the more powerful it would be. At the same time, the price for using it was the eventual loss of your identity, as the abstract nature gradually erodes your soul and humanity by attuning you against nature.

Light magic was the embodiment of 'desire' and 'belief'. As expected, it was powered by faith, and the price was unwavering fealty towards a cause, which most people chose as Naga here in Ylisse, though it could be something as abstract as goodwill towards others.

Ultima, apparently, had been a combination of all those branches, each feeding off each other in a sympathetic resonance that drew on everything that I was. It was something that most people couldn't use, or rather wouldn't, as its price not only took from the user but forced it upon the world to exact an 'ultimatum', reducing the target to oblivion.

And I, in my eternal wisdom, had cast such a spell without thinking of the consequences.

_You can almost see the archetype of 'naive hero' falling onto my head._

"-So you have to promise me that you won't do something stupid like that ever again!"

I returned from my thoughts at the sound of Lissa's voice just in time to hear the end of her speech.

"Yeah, yeah, I promise. It was a stupid and rash decision in the first place, so you don't have to worry about me doing it again."

_Next time I'll make sure I have the right cost reductions in place first._

Casting from HP is a bad idea, after all.

Lissa narrowed her eyes. "You'd better not! Next time, I'll let Maribelle whack you over the head with her staff like she wanted to!"

"Eh? Maribelle wanted to do what?"

_I didn't think I warranted high enough in her books for her to care._

Lissa rolled her eyes. "Of course she did. You made me worry for nothing."

_Ah. That explains it._

There was a moment of silence where Lissa continued to glare at me, but then she let out a long breath and sank into a nearby chair.

"...Sorry for yelling at you, Mark-"

"It's fine. I did something stupid after all."

She gave me a wan smile, and then a long sigh. "It's just... With Emm's execution soon and then you being so close to dying..."

_Throb._

_(...and knowing that Chrom and the other's won't be coming back...)_

_Throb._

That look didn't suit her. The Lissa I knew should always be a smiling optimist, not worldweary like the girl sitting in front of me.

Her normally bright gray eyes were now a dim gray, and looking closely, I could see that she was pale, far more than healthy.

Seeing that, I had to do _something_ to cheer her up.

"Hey, Lissa. Want to see a magic trick?"

Lissa scoffed at my silly nonsequiter, but couldn't hide the small smile she had. "You of all people should know better than to be casting magic right now, mister!"

I smiled. "Come on, a little magic never hurt anybody-"

_Except Shirou before he learned how to use his real circuits, Voldemort in trying to kill Harry, every RPG character trying to cast magic when they're out of MP..._

"-And it's a cool trick, I promise."

Lissa sighed. "Fine. But any signs of pain and I'm strapping you in that bed!"

_...Resist the urge to make joke. You're better than that._

I nodded, mentally suppressing the sudden whim that popped into my head at her words, and then held out my left hand. "Behold... calorie-free donuts!"

I swept my right hand across the empty air over my left, and in an instant a plate of steaming fresh donuts appeared out of thin air.

"Ooh!"

Almost instantly, the fatigue in Lissa's stature vanished, replaced by joy and surprise at the sudden appearance of pastries-

"Mine!"

-And then the plate I was holding got snatched away and Lissa tucked into the donuts I made.

Seeing her happiness at eating said donuts, I smiled.

_Whoever said gradiant air was useless obviously never took into account the appeal of calorie free delicacies._


	16. Id - Ego

Chapter 14: Id - Ego

* * *

After Lissa finished eating the magically constructed treats and made me promise not to do anything stupid again, I was left to my own devices.

That meant that I could finally experiment with my powers and get a handle on exactly how I could change things for the better.

After all, since I paid such a large price to have these powers, there was no way in hell I wasn't going to make a difference with them, balance be damned.

My mistake had been casting high level spells from the start. While it was in my capabilities to do so, I was, at the moment at least, lacking in the required amount of 'MP' to use them.

That was how I ended up in a coma for... a week, I think is what Lissa said it was?

_Stupid time travel messing with my sense of time..._

I didn't even know when we were going to move out to save Emmeryn, since Robin had forgotten to mention that in our little talk earlier.

_Well, he'll probably tell me before we go anyway._

So for now, I just had to... train? Plan?

In any case, I eventually found myself in the castle courtyard, alone and free to do whatever it is I wanted.

* * *

Regna Ferox was definitely different from Ylisse. Where the latter had relatively mild weather, here everything seemed to be in perpetual winter.

A light layer of snow covered everything, and the few trees I could see were all evergreen.

It kind of reminded me of home, actually, albeit without the soul draining cold that it sometimes got to.

As for the actual courtyard, it was more of just an open field, with a few benches here and there.

It looked more like a training ground than something to take a walk in, though that was probably because the people of Regna Ferox held fighting in such high esteem.

The snow crunched beneath my feet as I walked around, a calming sound.

It also made me think.

_I'm... being offered a great deal of freedom in my position, aren't I?_

From the beginning, I had easily made my into the Shepherds. Then again, so had Robin, who was technically an actual Plegian sleeper agent, in so far as being Grima's avatar counted, so that didn't surprise me.

What surprised me was the lack of responsibilities I seemed to hold.

As far as I could figure, I should have been asked to perform some duties, like managing the inventory, cooking, cleaning, etc. It wasn't required, but from what I could remember of supports, and from common sense, I should have been asked that at least once.

Yet, I hadn't done anything of the sort.

_Have I?_

I was drawing blanks, and that was... slightly concerning.

Not only that, but when I thought about it, I hadn't even interacted much with the Shepherds, other than Lissa, Robin, Chrom, and Frederick. Sure, I'd seen the others around and had been introduced to them _(I think)_ but I hadn't sat down and hung out with them.

And they hadn't come asking me to hang out with them either.

Which was even stranger, since I was pretty sure that the Shepherds were supposed to be a friendly bunch.

_...Then again, I haven't actually had much time to interact with them since I got here, or rather to this time, have I?_

In short...

_I have no friends here._

That was a sobering thought.

The only ones I could possibly count as being friends would be Robin and... actually, only Robin.

_But that doesn't count, does it? He's not friends with *me* but rather he's carrying on the friendship that *I* had with him in the future._

I stopped in my tracks.

-It was snowing. My breath came out in short puffs of white smoke.

It was morning, but there was no one around.

There was only myself, standing alone in this castle courtyard.

Despite being morning, I was alone-

_Wait._

Lyn. I had forgotten about her in the recent events.

_She's still here, right?_

I had her card, so I could summon her back. And now that I knew a bit more about my powers, I could figure out how to actually use that card to summon her back.

Sure, it might be awkward explaining it to the Shepherds, but Robin could always help with that-

_It's not here._

The card was gone. Whether it had fallen out or been lost sometime between the last battle and me waking up, the fact was that it was gone.

_Huh. I really am alone here._

I wasn't that upset, surprisingly. When I thought about it a bit more, I realized why that was.

-This wasn't a game or a fanfic I had gotten myself into. It was reality.

I hadn't taken the time to get to know the Shepherds more, or spend time with them. Of course they wouldn't come looking for me or invite me to hang out.

That was natural. People didn't go out of their way to help those who didn't help them, or make the effort to be friendly.

Looking at it objectively, I was more of a nuisance to them than an asset.

-What had I done since I arrived here?

For the most part, all I had done was rush into danger and knock myself out. Both in this timeline and the previous.

In hindsight, the only reason that I even still counted as a Shepherd was probably because Chrom was too kind to let me off by myself, Robin knew my future self, and Frederick thought I was too much of a danger to Ylisse to be anywhere but here.

Lissa's strange fascination with me aside, I... really didn't have any allies here.

**_So leave._**

That's right.

There's no point in me staying here.

**_If you really cared about them, you would put an end to things by yourself._**

I had the power. While I didn't know the full extent of it... or rather, while I couldn't use the full extent of it without knocking myself out, it should be enough to save Emmeryn.

Not only that, but if I went and killed Gangrel, I could probably set myself up as the liberator of Plegia.

That would only be a short step away from King. And in that case, I could find Validar and put an end to him early, preventing the entire Grima resurrection fiasco.

**_Who could stop me?_**

And even if the timeline somehow reset,** _it would be good experience for the next time._**

Silence, quiet enough for me to hear the sound of snow falling to the ground.

Robin would understand. Hadn't he all but said it out loud in our talk?

He told me to resolve myself.

He probably already knew what I had planned, or would plan.

Lissa would be upset, but that was fine. I was nothing more than a charity case anyway. It would be better for her to focus her attentions on people who could and would actually care for her-

_(LIAR)_

-like Lon'qu, or hell even Frederick.

Chrom... well, he'd be upset at someone he considered a 'friend' leaving, but I was sure he'd understand.

And Frederick... the knight had wanted me dead already, so leaving probably wouldn't make a difference to him. In fact, he probably wished I would just disappear so I wouldn't make so much trouble for Lissa.

"So that's that, huh?"

There was no point in me staying.

...I wasn't the protagonist of this story, after all. That role belonged to Robin and Chrom.

I wasn't some self-insert who the universe revolved around either. In fact, it seemed to do the opposite, trying to spite me in every way possible for being close to the Shepherds.

I was just an average man who found himself here in a world he had once adored, with people he had admired, people he still wanted to protect.

Before, I couldn't make a difference. But now...

**_If you want to save them... leave. It will only do them harm for you to stay._**

I nodded.

It was settled.

-The sun was out, and the snow had stopped.

No one was around to see me. No one cared to see me.

I hadn't tried teleportation magic yet, but I knew it would count as 'dark magic'.

Something that would erode my identity and memories to cast if my mana was insufficient.

**_That's fine._**

It didn't matter. The _*********_ would make up the difference now that I was aware.

With no one watching me, and with no one to prevent me, I cast my spell and left the Shepherds behind.

The last thing I saw was the flash of violet light, emerging from the sigil forming beneath my feet, and a loud _crack_ as my magic shattered the boundaries of time and space to get to my destination.

* * *

**_-Finally, it's starting. _**

**_I can change it._**

**_For the first time in this nightmare, for the first time since it began, I-_**

* * *

A/N: So I lied about putting these in my profile. Just wanted to note that I'm aware this might seem out of character. It's supposed to be. Note the bold and the chapter. For those of you with some knowledge of Freud, it should be telling.

Next chapter we switch off to the Shepherds for once, and see how they react to 'my' sudden disappearance.

Also monsters.

Until next time!


	17. Paralogue: Robin

Paralogue: Robin I

* * *

_Excerpt from Old Hubba's journal, ten years after the fall of Ylisse._

_The wheel of fate turns and the river of time churns. Once more, events seek to converge. _

_-The power to deny a desolate future, the determination to forsake a small happiness for the ideal ending._

_The last chronicle begins._

* * *

It was morning, and it was snowing. Though it should have been a novel event for Robin, who could not recall his past, the fact was that it wasn't the first time he had seen such a thing.

Nor was it the first time he had been here in Castle Ferox, staring down at his notes after learning of Emmeryn's impending execution.

As it was, he was in the room he had been allowed to stay by Flavia, a spacious place with enough room to lay out as many maps, diagrams, and notes as he pleased.

The room itself had been sparsely decorated when he entered, with only stone walls, like everywhere else in the Castle Ferox, a single table, and bundles of parchment and ink for him to use.

That was all there was in the room, and it was exactly what he needed at the time.

Diagrams of battlefields lined the room from wall to wall, followed by extensive notes about possible tactics written in the language Mark had taught him to prevent any enemy from discerning their plans.

Despite their importance, it wasn't those that Robin's attention was focused on, but rather the roll of parchment stretched out along the table.

It was an innoccuous diagram. Three lines ran along its length, with marks at certain points on each with shorthand notes written alongside. The end of the first two lines curved back upon themselves before converging on the third near its beginning.

It was this final line that Robin was focused on.

After a few moments staring at the diagram and his notes, Robin let out a sigh and ran his right hand through his hair, leaving it a ruffled white mess.

"What were you planning, Mark?"

Though the name was the same, Robin wasn't speaking of the one who was with him in this time, but the one he had known in the future.

They were similar, but different enough that Robin was concerned.

While he could not clearly recall his past, or rather the future that he had come from, he could recall enough to realize that things were different.

Especially with Mark.

He looked back at the diagram before him and the notes he had written.

_Timeline A. Original timeline. Not much known, since Mark never elaborated on the first time we met. The time Mark first arrived in Ylisse. _

_Timeline B. The second timeline. Mark's time as a knight, wielding legendary weapons and summoning Einherjar to his side. The time I remember the most, including the war against Plegia and the successful campaign against Valm. Despite that, it all ended when I... anyway, the timeline where Mark used the contingency ritual to send the children back and prevent Grima's rise. _

_Timeline... C? D? Current timeline. Mark is... different? His personality is the same, but the air around him is... off. A strange connection exists between us where there had been none before, and he possesses an overwhelming magical presence that is clear to all that can feel it. Then there is the apparent 'reset' of the timeline... is this Naga's interference?_

It was slightly concerning.

Countermeasures for Grima, Validar, Walhart, Gangrel... Robin had those in spades. But that was only if events aligned closely to what he could recall.

That was partially why he wanted to talk with Mark about what to do with Emmeryn.

In the time that he could remember, a similar situation had arisen and, despite all his planning and Mark's abilities, they had failed.

Yet, it was in that failure that Chrom hardened his resolve to become the Exalt who gathered the respect and adoration of all Ylisse, succeeding his sister's will. It was in that failure that Robin had furthered his skills and tactics to ensure such a thing never occurred again.

It was in that failure that Mark bound himself with a geass to 'improve against all odds' and later become the Valmese Blight, the sole swordsman to force back Yen'fay and his entire company when the Shepherds were struck with a surprise attack in the middle of their campaign.

So Robin was conflicted.

Mark didn't seem to remember the timeline that Robin did, even after the reset. Not only that, but his powers were completely different than what Robin remembered him having.

That could mean one of two things:

One, Robin had been sent back to the first timeline, where Mark first came to Ylisse.

Or two... Mark's gambit was still in play, and it involved erasing his own memories while keeping Robin's own.

If it was the former, then saving Emmeryn wouldn't matter, as time would assure that she came to her end, if their notes on time following set courses held true.

If it was the latter, then saving Emmeryn could ruin Mark's gambit entirely. Or it could be that not saving her would ruin everything.

_Dammit Mark! This is why I keep telling you to inform me of your plans before you go charging in!_

Robin sighed and ran his hand through his hair again.

While the 'present' Mark had told him they should save Emmeryn, it was clear now that he wasn't the same 'Mark' who Robin remembered.

Which meant that saving Emmeryn could go contrary to the plan Mark had devised to save everyone.

On the other hand, not saving Emmeryn...

_Gods dammit._

He made his choice.

Robin held out his hand and set the parchment on fire, watching to ensure there weren't any scraps left.

After the past few hours, he had already committed it to memory, so there wasn't any need to leave it lying around where some unknown element could see it. Chances were high that they couldn't figure out what it meant, but Robin wouldn't let anything to chance.

Not this time.

A glance at the window showed that it was morning, the moon having replaced the sun sometime during his planning. From the position of the sun, it was almost time for him to meet Chrom and rally the Shepherds to move out.

"At least someone's going to be happy about this choice..."

Robin shook his head and gathered his supplies.

Though he had agreed with Mark earlier, he hadn't been fully committed to the decision.

Now, though, he was sure.

_We're saving Emmeryn. And if this screws up Mark's plan... well, he should have said something to me before throwing me back in the past with an amnesiac version of himself._

* * *

From within the shadows, an unnoticed silhouette watched the unsuspecting tactician leave the room.

"...The grandmaster is in transit. Should I engage?"

It was a soft voice, barely audible even in the quiet stone halls. Then again, with the dark magic ensuring her presence remained concealed, it wouldn't have mattered even if she had been yelling.

_PATIENCE, YOUNG ONE._

A demonic voice answered her, one with such eldritch terror and insanity that it could stop the heart of an average man from just hearing it.

And yet it only made her scoff. "How much longer are you going to call me that? I'm not a kid anymore, you know?"

_SILENCE. _

She sighed and nodded.

_...IT APPEARS THAT THE PUPPET HAS LEFT THE STAGE. NOW... LET LOOSE THE HOUNDS OF HELL._

"Finally!"

The silhouette emerged from the shadows, revealing a young woman with short green hair. She appeared innocent enough, but there was no mistaking the malevolent smile on her face, nor was their mistaking the brand of Grima glowing in her eyes.

A Levin sword crackling with dark lightning appeared in her right hand, followed by a black cowl shrouding her entire body in darkness.

She stared intently at Robin's back and then grinned.

"Time to play, Daddy. Try not to die this time, okay?"

* * *

A/N: A glimpse into Robin's thoughts, as well as a bit of backstory on the 'Mark' in Robin's timeline. Also the enemy makes their move? What's Mark up to? And what about the other Shepherds? The other children? Next time, on- *ahem*.

Until the next.


	18. Paralogue: Chrom

Paralogue: Chrom

* * *

Chrom. The leader of the Shepherds and the prince of Ylisse. Despite that, he was human and had feelings like everyone else. And it was because of that he strode out to Castle Ferox's training grounds early in the morning to clear his mind before facing the Shepherds.

_Emm..._

His sister was going to be executed. Despite Robin's reassurances, Chrom was still worried.

Chrom's footsteps echoed among the empty hallways.

Logically, he knew he couldn't have done anything to prevent it. Emm had always been stubborn in her ideals, and there was no way he could have convinced her to stay with them instead of return to Ylisse after that last battle.

That thought brought up another that had been concerning Chrom.

_Mark._

He was a strange one, even more so than Robin was at times.

It wasn't that Chrom didn't believe his story. In fact, with the way Mark stumbled around their customs and looked at everything with a curious eye, it wasn't hard to believe that he was a foreigner visiting Ylisse for the first time. That, along with the strange expressions he often used only cemented Chrom's view of him as that.

No, it was that Mark was so... distant. And it had only been recently, too.

When Chrom had first met him and Robin out in those fields, both had been forthright and honest. Robin especially had been eager to aid with his talents, even with his amnesia, while Mark had been enthusiastic about being part of the Shepherds.

Chrom let out a chuckle at that thought.

Despite having that magic sword of his, Mark had been a terrible swordsman for the first few weeks and had been admonished by Lissa more than once about it.

And then he had improved.

Rapidly.

At the same time, he had grown distant. The friendships he had made... in an instant, he seemed to have tossed them aside. Within the span of a week, he had avoided those he had bonded with, seemingly obsessed with growing stronger.

And then there was that incident happening a few days ago where he had managed to create a crater with a spell that Miriel said an entire squad of sages couldn't hope to replicate...

It wouldn't be so bad if Mark talked about it. Even if he had secluded himself, only showing up during meals and strategy meetings, Mark had shown himself to be more than trustworthy with the countless times he had put himself in harm's way to protect the Shepherds.

Especially Lissa. The two had seemed to be near inseparable until recently.

A thought came to mind, an idle conversation he had with Frederick a few days ago.

_Milord. Is it not possible that Mark is a spy? There have been rumors abroad of Valm seeking to expand its reach..._

Chrom shook his head.

_No. _

Even if that was seeming more and more plausible, Chrom refused to believe that Mark was a spy.

If anything, it was more likely that Mark was an Archsage in a self-imposed exile. That was likely, wasn't it? After all, the ancient Elibian tales told of such individuals, and with the abilities Mark had shown recently...

Chrom sighed.

Regardless of what he thought, Mark was going to have to explain himself soon.

Despite the number of times he had saved Lissa and that he was a friend to the Shepherds, there was growing doubt about whether it was wise to keep him with them. And it wasn't only Frederick voicing that opinion either.

In Chrom's musings, he had managed to arrive at his destination.

Seeing the empty training grounds in front of him, he shook his head as he realized that Mark had managed to distract him from thinking about Emm even without being there.

_That guy... always managing to help out even when he's not here, huh?_

He shook his head and drew Falchion, planning to get in some quick training before it was time to leave-

"TARGET SIGHTED. PREPARING TO ELIMINATE."

-and then he was forced to dodge as an arrow surged towards him.

"What in Naga's name...?"

There was the sound of steam and the clanking of metal. A strange creature was in front of him.

It looked like a suit of armor, but different. For one, suits of armor didn't move by themselves. For another, the eerie crimson orb where the head should be was definitely unnatural. And lastly, the fact that it had four legs, was armed with a sword with its other limb literally armed with a crossbow proved that it wasn't an ordinary suit of armor.

"UPDATE. ASSASSINATION FAILED. SWITCHING TO MELEE COMBAT."

The strange creature lowered its bow-arm and raised its sword.

Chrom let out a breath and raised Falchion to meet it. "I don't know who or what you are, but you've picked the wrong opponent today."

* * *

Hidden in the shadows, a conversation occurred between the observer of this battle and a being beyond the World itself.

"The Exalt has engaged with Chrome MK-1."

_AND THE OTHERS?_

"The white princess and the death god are seeking them out as we speak."

_EXCELLENT. WITH THIS AND THE PUPPET'S ACTIONS, MY ASCENSION IS ASSURED._

The observer bit her lip.

"...Is this truly necessary? Would Naga not be willing-"

_YOU WOULD SAY HER NAME, EVEN AFTER SHE HAS FORSAKEN YOU?_

The observer stilled, and she let out a sigh.

"Forgive me. I should not have doubted you."

_YES. YOU SHOULD NOT. AFTER ALL... _

"...We have lost too much to turn back now," the observer finished.

* * *

A/N: More plot threads! More obscurities! How much more can the plot be derailed? Who is the ominous person speaking in italic caps? Who is the observer? What the heck is going on? Find out next time on-

*ahem*

Until the next!


	19. Id - Arrogance

Id - Arrogance

* * *

Distortions, memories, reasons, ideals. They rushed through my mind in an instant, too fast for me to comprehend.

Nostalgia, despair, rage, determination. I felt those emotions in response. I grit my teeth, focusing in spite of everything. _I already know what to do!_

The instantaneous moment passed. As it did, I realized that I was no longer in Castle Ferox, or even in Regna Ferox at all. Where the landscape had once been snow and forest, it was now blistering winds and golden sand.

A brief moment of confusion and disorientation passed, but it was soon replaced by... not quite determination, but at the least a sense of purpose.

I took a look around, surveying my surroundings to plan my next action.

"I made it to Plegia, it seems. Good."

In the distance, I could see the giant skeleton that passed as Grima's remains. And past that, almost invisible in the shimmering heat haze, was a city. The fact that it was the capital of Plegia need not be said.

Again, that sense of purpose.

I wrapped my right hand around the hilt of the Runesword, focusing. Time was of the essence. Any spent standing out in these dunes meant less that could be used to find and save Emmeryn.

"Let's go."

Sand exploded around me, imitating the midst of a sandstorm, and my accelerated body was launched through the air. It was far from discrete, but then again I wasn't aiming for discrete. Shock and awe. That was what I was aiming for, and that was what I was going to get.

Despite my sense of purpose, I felt a slight resistance. Was this the right thing to do? Should I really be here on my own, despite my overwhelming powers?

I forced those thoughts away. "I'll think about the right or wrong of my actions later. For now..."

My approach didn't go unnoticed. Barely a few seconds had passed before swirls of dark magic gathered in the air before me. It seemed that Gangrel, Aversa, or whoever was in charge of the city's defenses were actually capable. But that meant nothing. Even the few wyvern knights I could see being dispatched in the distance would mean nothing.

-_Cut them down._

I raised the Runesword, and the blade greedily drained the dark magic in front of me. After it had finished, I swung the sword.

"Boom."

At first, it seemed like nothing had happened. The only sign that I had done anything at all was a brief beam of light shining across the distant wyvern knights. That didn't last long. The air was suddenly torn apart by the sounds of explosions, shattering the relative silence like thunderclaps from a god's wrath.

-Advance.

I cast a flurry of wind spells behind me, scattering the sandy dunes even further, and cut the distance between me and the castle in half.

With reinforced eyes, I could see the damage my actions had caused, the chaos I had wrought. The few wyvern knights that had been dispatched were falling to the ground. Falling in pieces, that is, fleshy chunks that spoke of a terrible fate. One that I had caused. As for the city itself, that hadn't been left unscathed. Despite the focus of my spell being targets in the air above the capital, the sheer force of my spell had turned a city block into rubble. Rubble interspersed with quickly pooling puddles of blood.

-Ignore it.

I focused my attention on the outskirts of the city, the walls where the dark mages would have gathered. At the same time, I raised my left hand, preparing another spell if needed.

"Where are they? Where are those fools standing in my way?"

-I needn't have been concerned. It only took a fraction of a second to spot the men and women wearing telltale robes bearing Grima's mark. It would have taken me only another fraction to end their lives. As I was now, distance was meaningless. So long as they were in my sights, death was all but assured. Yet, I met no resistance that would have caused that. Instead of opposing me, the dark mages were in disarray. Some had plain shock and panic on their faces, others awe and... reverance? In either case, they were of no threat to me.

A niggling sense of doubt. Why would they act that way? I ignored it and focused on the situation at hand. "Now for phase two."

I landed near the entrance of the capital, cracking the road that led to its depths. Instantly, I felt the eyes of hundreds upon me. Plegian citizens, Plegian guards, Grimleal... now more than ever, I served as the center of attention.

-Satisfaction. This was working out just as I planned. _Now for the next part..._

Dark magic was fueled by knowledge. Theoretically, so long as you had adequate knowledge, you could create a spell for any concept through the application of dark magic, though the price would rise accordingly in response to the complexity of the goal. Something like complete resurrection of the dead, for example, would completely shatter the soul of the user and change their nature to one 'Against the World'. But what I had planned wasn't that extreme.

I raised my head, straightening my body as best as I could to give off a regal stature, and then spoke the words that would begin a revolt. "I, the Mark of Grima command you! Accept me as your ruler!"


	20. Id - Hubris

Id - Hubris

* * *

Geass, the Power of the Kings. In one particular manifestation, it enforced absolute obedience. That ability had been used by a fallen prince to destroy an empire.

Though not quite the same as the one wielded by the Demon Emperor, what I had used was similar enough.

Almost immediately, I could see the people _bowing as they should_ before me. As things were, I had no need to fear retaliation. Indeed, I had all the support I needed to take me to where I had to be. And that destination was...

"Tell me," I said to the nearest Plegian. It was a woman, middle-aged, with long brown hair. Not too attractive, but not unsightly either.

"Where is the Exalt being kept?"

Though there was no red ring around her eyes signifying absolute obedience, the plain worship in her face was clear enough.

"The false king is keeping her in his tower, milord! Rumors say that she'll be executed within the week!"

An immediate response, yet overly enthusiastic. Eager to please.

-I felt a twinge of guilt at that expression, but it was gone before I could dwell on it.

"I see."

After my dramatic entrance and casting of that spell, I had what I needed in order to save Emmeryn. All that was left to do was march on the castle proper, dethrone Gangrel, and _claim my rightful place as the leader of Plegia._

I took a look around.

Like that first Plegian, everyone I saw was waiting on my every word. Eyes filled with worship, expressions of awe and reverence.

_Disgusting._

Whether that thought was at seeing them or at myself for causing such a situation, I didn't care to examine. Instead, I contemplated my next course of action.

Truthfully, my plan ended here.

Unlike Robin, I was never much of a strategist. Tactics were much more up my alley, and, barring those, I found ways to cheat. Exploits in weaknesses, knowing how the game worked enough to predict what would come next.

Life wasn't a game, but with magic at my disposal, especially with how versatile it was seeming to be...

I looked up. Castle Plegia was ahead, and I didn't need to check with my magic to know that Gangrel was waiting there. My presence hadn't gone unannounced, after all.

But he had died by my hand once, and _it was fated to happen again._

"...I am going to raid the castle and rescue the Exalt. As much as you can, distract the guards to expedite this matter."

"YES YOUR HIGHNESS!"

A chorus of agreement, eerily similar to how I envisioned it would sound. Did my thoughts influence how the spell would turn out?

...What am I saying, of course it did. That was the result of the subjectivity that inherently existed in magic, particularly dark magic.

The people in my sight vanished, dispersing into the city to do whatever it was that served the purpose of 'distracting the guards' to expedite my raid.

I saw a dark mage that had been caught in my spell turn towards the castle. An older man with a forgettable face dressed in plain dark robes. He carried a simple flux tome, and yet under the curse I had inflicted was gathering the energy to cast Mire, the long range siege spell.

The catalyst was insufficient, and I could clearly see the strain he put himself under to cast the spell, parts of his body blackening and burning away to fuel it, all for the sake of distracting the guards so my plans went smoother.

I saw a young girl, frail and delicate with adorable blonde hair, sprinting towards the castle like she was possessed. She did so, completely ignoring the fact that her bones cracked in the effort, her feet bled with the friction from the speed she was moving.

Some other children joined her, and they too ignored the strain they were putting on their bodies to move at that speed.

And then there were the other, more graphic sights occurring around me that I didn't bother describing.

Objectively, I could say that it was disturbing. A simple request to distract the guards had turned the city into bedlam. While I hadn't cast it over the entire population, with the current situation as it was, I wouldn't need to.

Internally, I couldn't help but note that this would let claiming the city from Gangrel even easier.

After all, the king was already mad. It was only a matter of time before his citizens became so as well, wasn't it?

I stepped forward, reflexively casting a spell to shroud me from view as I approached the castle. Any would have worked, but as I felt the sensation of something cool washing down from my head, like that of an egg being cracked on it, I couldn't help the wry smile that emerged.

"Disillusionment, huh? Well, I guess that's fitting."

I made my way along the road to Castle Plegia, ignoring the chaos forming around me.

* * *

The castle towered over the rest of the town, mirroring that of Castle Ylisse. Though the style of the architecture differed, favoring more gothic designs of dark stone rather than the elegant marble designs back in Ylisstol, the layout was similar.

Spires that stuck out from the sand like twisted bones, burnt black. In one of those, Gangrel kept Emmeryn imprisoned.

Entering the castle, I found myself in a spacious room. Ferns stood against the wall here and there, while furs lined the floor.

I could see doors leading further into the palace in front of me and to my sides.

I stepped inside and sand drifted onto the dark floor of the castle's entrance in my wake.

Though I remained invisible, the sight of the drifting sand alerted the guards, and as one they turned towards me. "Who goes there?!"

I smirked at the words. "Must all guards be so generic? Hah, not like it matters. You'll all die here anyway."

I dropped my disillusionment and turned to the closest of the guards, a man in his middle-ages. Like the typical soldier class, he wore plate mail with a conical and pointed helmet.

In response to my motion, he raised his spear, steel I noted, and charged.

Words, it appeared, were no longer forthcoming-

"Blizzard."

-from him in any case.

Jagged ice crystals emerged from thin air and converged upon the guard attacking me.

Blood splattered to the ground, none of it my own, followed by a body.

For a moment, nobody moved, but then one of the generic soldiers shouted, "A-Alert General Mustafa! Ylisse is-"

"Thunder."

Lightning flashed and that soldier vanished, becoming nothing more than ashes upon the floor.

That sent the rest of the guards running.

I ignored them and set off in leisurely strides through the door in front of me, taking me deeper into the palace.

The moment I did, a flurry of dark orbs shot towards me.

I raised my sword in response, the Runeblade greedily sucking in the dark magic before me.

"I-Impossible!"

I tilted my head at that, looking towards the one who cried out.

An old man. Grimleal, judging from the design on his robes. Another generic. And behind him were more Grimleal, each hiding their face underneath a hooded cloak.

The old man took a step back. "The dark light of Luna cannot be obstructed by mortal hands! Who... no, what are you?!"

I sighed. "This is getting irritating... Gravity."

An orb crackling with purple lightning expanded before me, and then the mages were gone, nothing more than smears on the floor.

My walk through the castle continued in a similar manner, random encounters against guards or mages and me overpowering them with my spells.

Before long, I arrived at the base of the tower I sensed Emmeryn was being imprisoned.

A tiny room, with but a single door that would lead to a staircase to the top of the tower, where a single jail cell held the Exalt-

"Tch, so you came after all. Stupid luck... I hate it when I'm right."

-and where a single swordsman barred my way. Crimson haired, eyes close to amber and a slightly Asiatic appearance. Though his attire differed from what I recalled, a red swordmaster coat replacing his shirt and jeans, there was no mistaking who stood before me.

"Emiya Shirou. Why are you here?"

He smirked. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to stop you."

I tensed at his words. _Stop me...?_

"And why would you do that? I'm here to save the Exalt from her execution, after all. Isn't that what your Master, Lucina wants?"

Shirou laughed. "Master? Is that what you think she is to me? No... I think you're mistaken, _Mark_. Lucina is not my Master, and I don't care a shred about what she wants or doesn't want to happen."

He stepped forward, hands grasping at the hilts of swords that did not yet exist.

In response, I raised the Runeblade, mentally casting every buff I knew to prepare for the upcoming clash.

"All I want," Shirou said. "Is to stop you here and now so that time can resume its natural course."

I paused, mulling over his words, and then scowled. "So the World has decided to act, has it? Or is it Naga that has called you from the Throne?"

Shirou took another step forward. "I don't give a damn what you think. All that matters is that Emmeryn will remain here until the Shepherds arrive and fail to save her so that everything gets back on track. And to do that, someone like 'you' needs to disappear."

I stepped forward as well. "Is that so? Well then..."

The distance between us closed to a space that could be crossed in a single step.

"Here I come, Defender of Justice. Do you have enough weapons in stock?"

A glimmer of an emotion I couldn't identify crossed his face, but it vanished, quickly squashed with a steely gaze.

""Trace on!""

Two voices, one aria.

With that as the signal, our battle began.

* * *

A/N: Meaningful chapter titles are meaningful. *sagenod*

As for the chapter itself... Shirou's in Plegia? What's he doing there? And where's Lucina in all this?

So many questions, too few answers... maybe I'll put some into the next chapter to make up for it?

Who knows, hehe.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review if you want.

Happy new year!


	21. Hero

Hero

* * *

I dashed forward, black and white swords in my hands. Kanshou and Bakuya, the swords that belonged to the heroic spirit Emiya and became the symbols of Emiya Shirou in that lifetime.

-Fake. I didn't know what the blades were truly like. I didn't understand the history that went into making them, didn't understand the concept that brought them about, didn't understand the one who wrought them into reality.

...But I didn't need to. The ********** made up for the difference, turning my fake forgeries into a true reality.

Shirou didn't seem surprised upon seeing my blades. If anything, he looked expectant, his eyes narrowed with the expression of someone already seeing thirty moves ahead.

I closed the distance and swung my blades in a cross, up and down. Left and right.

Sparks filled the air as Shirou swung his own blades in an action echoing my own.

Kanshou met Bakuya and Bakuya met Kanshou, the married swords clashing against their matching pair.

Metal screeched as I pushed forward, trying to overpower Shirou. Yet, somehow, despite all my buffs, the defender of justice stood firm. And, as if to spite me, he let out a smirk.

"Is that it?"

I scowled and leapt back, opening the distance between us once more-

_Dodge left!_

-and found myself changing directions and careening to the left before I could think about it.

_BOOM!_

Blinding white lightning struck down where I would have landed had I kept going on my original course of action.

My eyes widened and I turned back to look at Shirou.

"Tch. I missed."

The defender of justice had his right hand held out in front of him, crackling with energy.

_Impossible._

Emiya Shirou couldn't use magic. At least, not that type of magic. It was possible for him to mimic doing so by using a sword with the same abilities, but what he had just cast...

_That was 'Zap'. A divine lightning spell. Even if he's a 'hero' type, he shouldn't know that spell-_

My thoughts were cut short by the sound of a faint whistling through the air.

I acted on instinct and swung my swords up.

There was a brief _clang_ and copies of Kanshou and Bakuya crashed into the wall on either side of me.

I focused, quickly scanning the surroundings for additional copies in case Shirou planned to use their overedge attack.

Fortunately, he didn't seem to be planning to attack for the time being. Instead, he was staring at me with narrowed eyes, as if trying to read what I would do next.

Seeing that, I did the same, quickly rehearsing over all the information I'd just learned in our brief exchange.

_He can trace. There's no faking that. But he can also use magic. That's... impossible unless he's from a crossover story that I don't know about. But even then, the core of Emiya Shirou shouldn't change that much. And if it did, he shouldn't know how to 'trace'. So how...?_

Emiya Shirou could not use regular magic. Despite his almost cheat-like ability to near perfectly copy any bladed weaponry and defensive items, his proficiency with magic not derived from his reality marble was non-existent.

So it was impossible for him to have attacked me with that spell.

_Is it?_

...It might be possible that he had found some weapons that granted him intrinsic magical effects while traveling with Lucina. The Outrealms held many mysteries, after all, especially if they were anything like the Kaleidoscope in their range of accessible dimensions.

But even then, he shouldn't be able to use them without having the weapon out.

_And then there's his abilities to consider..._

At the moment, I had on every single buff spell from every RPG I had ever played. It wouldn't be a stretch to call me a god amongst men at the moment, especially after my body had been enhanced from my contract.

...Yet, Shirou had met me blow for blow, sword strike for sword strike.

The signs of our clash were clear. The ground was torn and scarred from the force we placed into our charges. The walls themselves were carved apart from the razor winds created from our swords when they clashed.

...And yet Shirou himself remained unscathed, something that not even EMIYA could have done.

Knowing that, I couldn't help voicing my thoughts. "...Who are you?"

He was quiet for a moment, briefly closing his eyes and muttering something under his breath that I couldn't hear even with my enhancements.

I knew better than to just ignore his actions, considering his signature ability.

I quickly swapped out Kanshou and Bakuya for the Runeblade, trusting my old sword more than the forged phantasms.

It was the right choice.

"Trigger, off."

Upon saying Shirou saying those words, it was as if time itself had crawled to a halt.

-An illusion. Time had not come to a halt, but rather both Shirou and I were moving fast enough for it to be irrelevant.

He sprinted towards me, holding a giant stone sword in his left hand.

"X-Zone!"

I swung the Runeblade, carving open a hole in time and space towards the Void.

_Want to use Nine Lives Bladeworks on me? Good luck getting through my spells first!_

Shirou smirked, as if reading my thoughts and said, "That won't work!"

"Wha-?"

The world _rippled_, and Shirou passed through my spell without a single scratch. Almost as if he wasn't there...

"Set-"

The distance between us closed to a single step.

"Like hell!"

I took a step back and raised my sword parallel to the ground beneath my eyes, preparing my own attack.

Shirou took a step forward. "Nine Lives-"

I swung my sword. "Tsubame-!"

"-Bladeworks!"

"-Gaeshi!"

An attack at godspeed clashed against a slash bending time and space to strike three times at once.

The outcome should have been clear.

Even though Nine Lives Bladeworks was powerful, it was nothing when your opponent moved just as fast.

In comparison, Tsubame Gaeshi, the Swallow Reversal technique crafted by Sasaki Kojiro was something that couldn't be countered. At least, not with a single blade, and especially when the sword used to execute it was the unbreakable and eternal Runeblade embodying me.

Shirou's weapon might have been powerful, but the stone axesword originally wielded by Herakles in the Fifth Grail War was just an ordinary enchanted weapon.

So the outcome should have been clear. My sword should have cleaved his apart and then cut into his body.

There was a shattering sound like I expected, but the sword that broke wasn't Shirou's.

My eyes widened. _It... broke?_

Pieces of the Runesword drifted through the air, shattered like fragile glass.

"Hah!"

Shirou paid no attention to my dismay and lunged forward with a stab, the final attack of Nine Lives Bladeworks.

I grit my teeth and cast the first spell that came to mind. "Vanish!"

-Vanish. A spell originally from Final Fantasy. One that made me immune to physical attacks by making me intangible. It didn't work exactly like that in its original rendition, but I twisted its casting to force it to work as intended.

Shirou's lunge pierced into thin air.

I immediately moved to the side and began casting my next spell.

_End the fight._ Even if the one standing in front of me was Emiya Shirou, I refused to falter. My course was set. If he would obstruct me, then the only thing I needed to do was get rid of him.

...But this was Emiya Shirou, so that was easier said than done.

Something that couldn't be blocked. Something I could cast at this close range without worrying about it being stopped. Something that bypassed physical defenses entirely-

_That will do._

A spell came to mind, along with its origin.

The unforgivable curse, one that held no counter.

I focused, erasing everything from my mind except for the thought of _killing_ the one before me and shouted, "Avada kedavra!"

My intangibility dropped upon the casting of my spell, its nature refusing my actions to be shielded from the world.

A sickening green light shot towards Shirou, filled with undeniable killing intent that would be actualized into certain death.

Shirou saw it, but ignored it in favor of attacking me. It seemed that he discounted any possibility of the spell harming him.

_Foolish._

The killing spell struck the defender of justice, splashing across his chest and disappearing without a sound and he stopped in his tracks.

I let out a sigh of relief that he was dead and projected a sword just to make sure-

Then was promptly launched across the room by a heavy blow to my chest.

I crashed into the stone wall and kept going, flying across the air for what seemed to be miles before landing in a pile of sand.

I coughed and scrambled to my feet.

Rather, I tried to.

My body didn't respond other than a small twitch.

"Gah... the... hell...?"

I tried to move again, and when I did I realized the problem.

My chest was gone. Along with a good chunk of the essential organs that kept a human alive.

It was surprising I was still even conscious with such a severe wound.

_How-?_

It didn't make sense.

The killing curse should have killed him. Avada Kedavra couldn't be stopped-

_Unless he had Avalon._

I let out a bitter laugh. It came out as a raspy gurgling, what with my lack of lungs and heart.

_Of course. _I should have realized it. I wasn't facing an ordinary Shirou. If he could use 'Zap' of all things, why the hell wouldn't he have a working Avalon? Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Saber was wandering around somewhere in Ylisse as well.

Footsteps approached.

Unable to move, I was forced to wait until the person came into view.

I didn't wait long.

Shirou stood over me, his hands empty and his expression blank.

I let out a wry smile. "I... lost..."

He shook his head. "No. We won."

My vision was fading, whatever mystery prolonging my life beginning to slip away at last. "Damn... it. In... the end..." I coughed, unable to finish my words as my throat stopped working.

The thought continued in my mind, however. _In the end... my life was meaningless._

I saved no one. I helped no one. My life in this world... it was meaningless from the beginning, and even my attempts to bring it meaning had failed.

_Why? WHY? _WHY?!

I did my best. I tried to change things, tried to do the best I could.

So why? WHY WAS EVERYONE AGAINST ME?

I gave everything for the power to save them. I gave everything for the power to defy reality itself. I gave everything to change fate.

Yet... here I was. Struck down by a 'hero'.

_...Then doesn't that make me the villain?_

I didn't accept it. Couldn't accept it.

-But I had no choice to accept it.

For all my magical prowess, for all my abilities, for all the benefits I had with my contract, I could do nothing more but lay there and wait for death to take me.

Shirou knelt down before me, his amber eyes staring into my own. Eyes that... were filled with tears?

_Why?_

There was no reason for him to be crying for me. It didn't make sense. _Hell, nothing makes sense anymore._

"I'm..."

_Static._

"...Sorry."

Shirou brushed his tears away and then held out his right hand, clutching at a blade that didn't exist.

_Static._

I should have been paying attention to it. To the weapon that would send me off from this mortal coil. Yet I didn't. Instead, I stared at Shirou.

_Static._

-From the moment we met, I thought he looked familiar. That there was something about his face, his stature... his very appearance that was familiar. I brushed it off as the fact that he was Emiya Shirou, someone I would recognize anywhere.

_Static._

Shirou narrowed his eyes and wrapped his other hand around his projected sword. He must have meant for it to look determined, but I could see the sorrow in his eyes.

_Static._

-I was wrong. He didn't seem familiar because he was Emiya Shirou. The reason why he was familiar was because...

_THUNK._

...his face was just like my own.

"Sleep, Dad. This time, we'll be the ones to end it."

Static filled my ears for the last time.

Then, I knew nothing more.

* * *

_...I'm dreaming. In the dream I see familiar people and familiar places._

Static.

_Robin faces off against a robed figure wielding a sword sparking with dark lightning. He's losing at first until his bronze sword transforms into a sword with a gold and blue guard containing a crimson gem. The changed sword seals his opponents powers and gives him the upper hand until the figure vanishes into shadows. Her disappearance is followed by the appearance of a frantic Lucina who tells Robin to hurry after her._

Static.

_Chrom faces off against a mechanical opponent. Like Robin, he initially falters, on the verge of death, until a sudden burst of blue flames allows him to rend his foe in half with a single slash. Bemused, he turns to examine it when Severa charges into the room and shouts for him to follow her._

Static.

_The Shepherd's Garrison. What should have been a peaceful scene as the Shepherds relaxed before the long journey was anything but._

_Blood splattered against the walls, limbs strewn in every corner._

_...Dead. All of the Shepherds were dead, save for Lon'qu and Lissa. _

_In the center of this gruesome scene is a man and a woman. The man's eyes were wrapped with white bandages, his spiky hair a pitch black color, and his clothes a dark blue shirt and pants stained with blood._

_The woman's eyes were crimson, her hair a deep golden hue kept in short bangs, and her clothes were a white gown somehow kept pristine despite the gore._

_The Feroxi swordsman shouts for Lissa to run before charging at a man with spiky black hair and bandages wrapped around his eyes. _

Static.

_The man with bandages steps forward and traces strange patterns across the Feroxi with a bloody knife._

_An instant later, Lon'qu joins the other Shepherds on the ground, fallen into so many pieces of flesh._

_A shrill scream. Lissa scrambles backwards. _

...I'm dreaming. A dream that's become a nightmare.

_Robin and Chrom burst into the room, followed by Lucina and Severa. _

_The man and woman, upon seeing them, vanish into thin air, as if they were nothing but phantoms. _

_Lucina lets out a cry of despair. "No! We're too late!"_

I'm dreaming. A dream that I can't wake up from.

_Chrom staggers back with wide eyes. "No! Everyone...! This... can't be real!"_

_Robin's initial reaction is the same, but his intellect soon takes over and he turns to Lucina. "Who did this- no. Who's the one behind this?" _

_The future Exalt doesn't reply, but an answer is given by Severa._

_"The one who did this... the one behind all of our despair... he's-"_

I'm dreaming. A dream where I gained power and failed. A dream where I sold my soul to save someone who couldn't be saved. A dream where I died a meaningless death.

I'm dreaming...

And then I open my eyes.

* * *

_Time... is a strange thing. The observer is doomed to repeat himself, even upon reverting to the prior state. The rules of existence have decreed as such. Once it has occurred, the record may not be obscured, even upon performing the taboo act of turning back the clock. _

_A death may not be changed once witnessed. Actions performed, though malleable, will not deter their prior outcomes. _

_It is in this manner that higher beings seek Outrealmers, those unbound to the timeline and free to change Fate through this loophole. _

_...It is also in this manner that they abhor Outrealmers who appear unasked. _

_Time may be somewhat malleable, but Fate is not. Once shifted, it is unable to return to its original course and absolutely resists further change, for better or worse. _

_A single mistake may doom an entire reality to demise, unable to be freed even by the most powerful of beings._

_Ylisse has fallen. The cause? An Outrealmer appearing where he should have not. A single mistake, one recollection too late._

_Desperate to change the course of Fate, he performed the taboo act of returning to the past. But existence once wrought is not prone to change and he found himself cursed as all others seeking to overthrow the rules of existence._

_...But unlike the others, he did not succumb. Instead, he embraced the curse, staking everything on a single thought: If I cannot change Fate, then I will embrace it to pave the way forward for 'myself'. _

_And so he sundered his soul, shattered his Fate, and embraced another's for his own. All in the hope, the ever fragile hope that some Fragment of him would remain after all was destroyed. That some Remnant may reach where he could not._

_Foolish? Perhaps so. But... such fools are the ones who create miracles._

_...I shall continue to watch his journey in this Chronicle of mine after entrusting the Fate of that plane in his hands._

_...May he succeed where I once failed._

_-The Historian_

* * *

Up next: Timeline Zero - Awakening


	22. Timeline Zero - Awakening

Timeline Zero - Awakening

* * *

I opened my eyes to see a brilliant blue sky. The air was fresh, cool.

"What?"

_Static. _I flinched and clutched at my head as a stab of pain shot through it. For a moment, everything seemed to blur, a faint image of-

_Dragon, destruction, demise..._

-something overlapping with the blue sky before me.

I blinked a few times and it vanished, leaving only that clear sky.

_What was that?_

I frowned.

...No matter. I could think about what I saw later. For now, it was a good idea to see where I was...

_Static._ Another stab of pain. I clutched my head again and grit my teeth, waiting for it to pass. Once it did, I got to my feet, deciding it would be better than lying around.

It turned out that I had been lying down on some grass in the middle of a field. Something about it seemed familiar, but for the sake of it I couldn't recall why-

_Static. _Another stab of pain, but one followed by a sudden thought:

...Who am I?

I was dressed in a cloak of sorts and plain clothes. Examining the few pockets I had revealed no sign of my identity.

I had no weapon, so I didn't seem to be a traveler or wandering warrior. No scrolls or tomes, so I wasn't a mage.

...Could I be just a simple villager who had lost his way?

No, that didn't seem right. I knew, somehow just _knew_ that there was something more to me than being just a simple villager, so why-

There was a flash of light reflecting off of something in the corner of my eyes, a few paces in front of me.

I decided to take a look and headed towards it.

It was a silver card. Like everything else, it seemed vaguely familiar. Unfortunately, there was nothing spectacular or unique about it other than that, no words or symbols calling out to me.

There was, however, a folded note beneath it. I picked up the note and unfolded it.

As expected, there were words scrawled across it.

Unexpectedly, it was written in something I recognized as my own handwriting.

"The final route, timeline zero. Stay the course, change nothing. Use your renown, train your skills. The end is nigh."

It was short and brusque. More a set of instructions than a detailed reminder. But it was enough.

I remembered.

"...So it's been reset."

This wasn't the first time I'd woken up here, but it would be the last.

The previous time was a complete failure, and I couldn't save anyone or change anything.

The time before that was a mistake, binding my soul to something that only cursed me.

And those before that I could not recall, only that they ended in despair, eternally so.

I repeated the words on the note, a sense of understanding settling in.

This was it. If I could reach the end, if I simply prepared so that I could fight, at least somewhat... this would end. The true ending, the conclusion where nobody had to die.

Everything done was for this.

My powers were gone, and I couldn't use those overpowered spells any longer. At the same time, I had no Runeblade to help me, no magical weapon skills appearing out of nowhere to aid me in times of peril, and no superhuman enhanced body.

That didn't mean I was defenseless.

I palmed the silver card and then watched it vanish in a display of light. At the same time, I realized how it was used.

"So this is what Robin was talking about."

The ability to summon legendary weapons and heroes of yore. The unique ability granted to me as an Outrealmer.

At the moment, it was still weak. I could only have one weapon and hero out at a time, not only that, but at merely a fraction of their true power as well.

"That's fine."

I brushed off my cloak, a sense of determination and purpose filling me that I hadn't felt in a long while.

"This time, things will be different."

If I wanted power, I would have to earn it. If I wanted the happy ending, I would have to stay the course.

But most important of all...

I turned towards Southtown and started making my way towards it.

"...Time to join the Shepherds for real."

No more acting on my own. No more ignoring the others.

If I wanted to save anyone, I first had to get along with everyone. Something I should have done the first time but didn't out of my own ego and hubris.

With that in mind, I made my way towards Southtown, my gray cloak billowing in the wind like that of a hero's should.

* * *

"Welcome to Southtown, traveler!"

A man greeted me as I walked into the town. Middle-aged, slightly balding with brown hair and a tad rotund. In fact, he was the very same who greeted me the first time I arrived.

I smiled and waved in return. "Hello there, good sir. Would you mind telling me where the nearest-"

I suddenly remembered that I didn't have any money with me this time.

"Actually, do you know if there's some work to be done around here? I'm afraid that I've gotten lost on my travels and recently spent my last coin."

"Oh?" The man gave me a once over. "Hm... you're a bit scrawny, but I suppose it doesn't matter too much." He nodded as if confirming something to himself. "Old Hank over at River Runners could use some help moving around his supplies. Just head on in and tell him John sent you. I'm sure he'll find you something to do for some good coin, or at least a meal."

_River Runners again, huh?_ The same inn I'd stayed at on the prior loop. _Looks like some things stay the same._

I thanked the man and headed off towards River Runners after getting some directions.

I wasn't in any particular rush, however, so I took the time to get a closer look at the town itself.

I'd arrived in the south entrance, near the marketplace, on my way in. It was kind of impressive that John, the man who greeted me, noticed me at all amongst the hustle and bustle taking place there.

_Then again, Southtown probably doesn't get many travelers. Especially any as distinct in appearance as yourself._

That was true.

Taking a closer look at the crowd around the marketplace, they all seemed quite familiar with each other, and more than a few times a shopkeeper greeted his customer by name, asking them how their family was getting along.

I headed towards the other side of town, across the bridge overlooking the water canals. There weren't many people around, though the few there greeted me with as much kindness as the first did.

_Quite a stark contrast from the first welcome, isn't it?_

To be fair, the first time I arrived I was obviously suspicious, not even knowing where I was and all that.

I shook my head with a smile at the reminiscence and then continued on my way. "Now, River Runners should be over on the west side of town-"

"HEEEEELP!"

I had just reached the water fountain when a sudden shout cut through the air. At the same time, there was a burst of flames not far away. They quickly spread throughout the buildings in the town, setting everything alight.

"...Why am I not surprised?"

Armed men were appearing in every direction. Obviously the events of the prologue had just occurred, and I was in the thick of it.

"One, two... huh, only half a dozen? Two mages, two swordsmen, two axemen."

I wasn't sure if that was how it was in the script, or how it was the first time I was here. Not that it mattered too much now.

"Chrom and the others should be showing up soon if my note didn't lie."

They should be arriving to the south, the same way I showed up.

...It was kind of surprising that I missed them on my way here, now that I had the time to think about it.

_But enough of that._

Time to test out how much I remembered from my previous life.

A swordsman noticed me standing there and not running away in panic like most of the villagers.

He walked towards me and said, "Oi, you! Hand over your valuables!"

I turned towards him and raised an eyebrow.

_...Huh. He's literally a generic swordsman._

Imagine the mercenary class from Blazing Sword. Spiky brown hair, giant broadsword, red clothes, the whole deal.

"...I think I'll pass."

The swordsman narrowed his eyes. "Refusing, eh? Don't say I didn't warn you!"

He hefted the sword behind his shoulder and charged, body held down low in a crouch to increase his speed.

_Fast!_

I threw myself to the side, barely avoiding the slash that would have cut me in half.

The swordsman came to a halt and turned towards me, his sword slung over his shoulder again. "Oh? Not bad, but you're gonna have to do better than that!"

I suddenly felt the difference between this body and my last. Before I could have easily dodged him, but at the moment, I only just avoided that blow.

_Time to get serious_.

I held out my hand, focusing on the weapon that would be most useful here. _The swordsman is fast, but predictable. One slash should be all I need. And to do that... a broadsword like his should work._

My current pool of weapons were small, but out of them all one was perfect for this situation.

"Come, Durandal."

The massive dragon killer blade appeared in my hand.

I staggered at the sudden weight. _Heavy!_

The swordsman raised an eyebrow. "That's some weird magic you got, summoning weapons like that... but looks like you can't use it very well. Tough luck!"

He grinned and came at me with another charge.

It was at that moment that Durandal's effects kicked in.

_Strength plus five, triggered... scratch that. Strength plus two. _

"Still more than enough to take you on!" I matched the swordsman's charge with one of my own.

He was skilled, and my attack was unskilled. As such, all he needed to do was tilt his sword slightly as he swung to knock my blade aside-

Or so it would seem.

But how could the legendary Durandal falter against a simple iron sword?

"HAH!"

I let out a shout and swung my sword, cleaving completely through the swordsman's weapon and his body.

"Wha-"

Before he could say another word, I swung again, putting an end to his life.

"One down."

I turned to see the other swordsman rush towards me.

A flash of lightning in the corner of my eyes told me that Chrom and the others had arrived.

Before I could do anything more than register that, there was a blur of blue steel. "Pick a god and pray!"

The swordsman that had been heading towards me was cut down by Frederick.

The great knight gave a brief glance at me before heading off to fight the bandit leader.

"...Huh. Well Frederick's still as badass as usual, I see."

"Hail, friend."

A voice called out, and I saw Chrom heading towards me, Lissa and Robin close by.

"Thank you for helping with the bandits."

I waved off his thanks. "No need. As someone who can fight, how could I stand by and watch them?"

"A nobler statement as ever." Chrom smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Chrom."

I took it and smiled. "My name is Mark. I've traveled quite some distance to meet you, actually."

A gruff voice chimed in. "Is that so?" Frederick rode over on his horse. "And why might that be, 'Mark'?"

"Well that-"

I was saved from answering by the townsfolk approaching. Their leader was actually John, the guy I met at the gate.

The following events proceeded as expected, and before long we were off. Or rather, Chrom, Robin, Lissa, and Frederick were off.

Before they went too far, I called out and said, "You're headed for the capitol, right?"

Chrom nodded. "Indeed we are. Did you have business there, Mark?"

I nodded. "Mind if I come along?"

* * *

"I still do not believe this is a wise idea, Milord."

Chrom sighed. "And I'm telling you once again, Frederick, that I don't see anything wrong with taking them along. Robin risked his life to come with us to save the bandits, and Mark helped out when he was simply passing through."

"All the more reason to be suspicious. Does that not seem like a perfect ploy to curry favor with you, Milord?"

Chrom sighed again.

At the moment, we were trudging through the woods south of Ylisstol, the same woods where the Risen would first make their appearance.

Chrom and Frederick were the vanguard, the former due to his heroic nature and the latter due to his insistence on being by his liege's side, even if that meant guiding his steed the entire time through rough terrain.

Not that either of them said that, of course.

In any case, that left me, Robin, and Lissa following them a few paces back.

Robin glanced over at Frederick and said, "Lissa. Is Frederick always so..."

"Uptight?" Lissa finished.

Robin nodded.

"Yep! There's a reason why we call him Frederick the Wary, you know."

Robin tilted his head. "We?"

"Mhm! Me, Chrom, and our big sister are always telling him to relax a bit. And can you believe this? He didn't even know what a break was until I told him about it!"

Robin's eyes grew wide. "You're kidding me."

Lissa shook her head. "Nope. And the one time I tried to get him to do it, he tried running away!"

"Unbelievable." Robin turned his gaze towards Frederick and muttered, "I don't know if I'm impressed or scared by that fact."

Listening to their conversation, I realized the minor differences from the first time I'd experienced this event. To start with, we were all actually traveling together as a group this time instead of spread about. That, and Lissa was talking with Robin and not me.

_Is this the butterfly effect?_

A simple change, so minor it seemed inconsequential. A slight show of competence, a different introduction. All of it leading to a different series of events.

Which, if my note is to be believed, was how things went down the first time.

...That made me wonder slightly how I managed to pretend to be so competent the first time around.

Then I remembered my skill in bluffing under high stress as well as the fact that I could have got a lucky break and the wonder went away.

"So Mark!"

Lissa's voice drew me out of my thoughts and back to the present.

The blonde princess looked over towards me and said, "What brings you to Ylisse? Robin over here doesn't have any interesting stories, but you've got some, right?"

Robin nodded. "That's right. You don't seem like you're from around here."

I smiled, feeling somewhat nostalgic at the question, and then said, "I could say the same about you, Robin. Not many people in Ylisse have a mop of white hair."

The tactician spluttered a bit at having the focus turned around on him.

Lissa frowned. "That's right. There really aren't too many people with white hair in Ylisse... well, except for those old geezers."

"But anyway," I said. "I'm here-"

_To save you all._

"-on a mission of sorts. I've come a long way to reach this point."

There were times I couldn't remember anymore, times lost and forgotten. And there were times I did remember, success mired in failure after the fact. Fragments of eternity, gathered all for this moment.

...At least that was the impression I had in my mind.

"Oh?" Lissa tilted her head. "And what's this important mission you have?"

I laughed. "It's nothing too much, but I want to become an Ylissean knight."

"An Ylissean knight?" Robin said. "Why that? Someone as skilled as you are could surely find better work than a simple knight."

"While it's true that mercenary work might pay better, there's a reason why I want to be a knight."

In actuality, I didn't know if being a mercenary paid better, but that was the story I was sticking with.

"And why's that?" Lissa asked.

I smiled and said, "Well that's a secret, fair lady."

Lissa pouted and crossed her arms. "Fine, keep your stinking secrets. Not like I wanted to know anyway."

I laughed.

We were getting pretty deep in the woods now, to the point where the trees were starting to block out the light. Not only that, but the sun was starting to set.

Due that, Chrom decided that it was best to find a place to rest for the night, leading to us finding the same clearing as the first time.

But not everything was the same.

Almost the moment that we started making camp, Frederick walked over and clamped a firm hand on my shoulder.

"Mark. Would you mind coming with me to hunt for the night's meal?"

It was a tone that allowed no refusal.

"Frederick-"

Chrom started to protest, but I waved him off.

"It's fine, Chrom. I actually wanted to talk with Frederick about something as well."

This caused the stern knight to give me a brief look of surprise, but it was quickly smoothed over.

"In that case," Frederick said. "Let us be off." That said, he headed in a random direction, steel spear kept on his back behind him.

I nodded and followed, doing the same with Durandal.

We moved deeper into the woods, in the area that people rarely traveled. It was dark, gloomy, and in all honesty looked like something out of a horror film.

It didn't bother me though. Dying once or twice gets rid of that fear pretty fast.

"So 'Mark'," Frederick said.

I could hear the emphasis he placed on my name, as if he knew it was fake.

"I heard you tell milady that you wish to become an Ylissean knight."

I nodded and said, "That I do."

"Then I presume you know of milord and milady's true status?"

"That, I also do."

We walked in silence for a while before Frederick said, "...Your story reeks of suspicion. A foreigner appearing in southern Ylisse at the same time that milord decides to patrol the lands. That is far too coincidental."

"And that I am also aware."

We walked some more.

"You are quite agreeable considering your situation."

"What," I said. "The fact that I'm alone in the middle of the woods with a skilled Ylissean great knight that could kill me and hide the body with none the wiser?"

Frederick smiled, an expression that looked quite sinister in the current setting. "Indeed."

I shrugged. "I've been in worse situations."

Like being mind controlled, signing away my soul, and being killed by my own future son to save the world.

"...A lot worse."

Frederick nodded. "I can imagine, considering the legendary blade you carry at your side."

That brought me to a sudden halt. "...Oh?"

Frederick smiled again. "While milord and milady might not have recognized the esteemed Durandal upon your back, it would never pass unnoticed before my own gaze."

"And what makes you think this is Durandal?"

Frederick scoffed. "A blade of that size and make, as well as the patterning on the guard and hilt... not to mention the sudden display of strength you attained when you held the sword. What else could it be?"

_Right._ Frederick was the first one on the scene and saw my brief clash with the swordsman.

"Your point is?"

"My point, 'Mark'," Frederick said. "Is to ask you why the 'superb mind' has descended as an Einherjar whilst carrying the legendary blade of sir Roland and desiring to become a knight of Ylisse."

I blinked, mulling over Frederick's words.

Then I blinked again and said, "What?"

"I see that you do not wish to speak. That's fine. Only, know that if the reason for your arrival places milord or milady in danger... Einherjar or not, you shall face this knight's wrath."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I suppose we have been gone long enough," Frederick said.

In a flash, Frederick spun and threw his lance. A moment later, a pained cry sounded out, followed by a low _thud_.

Frederick straightened and narrowed his eyes. "A bear. Pity, though it should suffice as the night's dinner. Come, Mark. Aid me in dragging its corpse back to the camp."

_How the hell did he do that?_ It was dark, there hadn't been a single noise, and there were about a hundred branches between us and where he had thrown his lance.

"Mark?"

"Ah, right." I quickly followed after the great knight, all the while making a mental note to not piss him off anytime soon.

We returned to the campsite in silence, and once there got help from Chrom and Robin in preparing dinner.

The following events played out as expected, and we all went to sleep, with Frederick taking the first watch.

It was a comfortable nap, despite the hard ground. After all, I'd made it back to this point, joined up with the Shepherds, and didn't have to worry about any major divergences from the storyline as long as I didn't interfere too much.

The nap was cut short by the sounds of bodies hitting the ground and ominous moaning.

I jumped to my feet, Durandal in my hand. Looking around, I saw that Frederick had done the same with his lance, and Robin was holding his thunder tome, already open to cast a spell.

"What in the world?" Robin said.

A half dozen Risen. Thankfully, all axemen.

"Question later, fight now!"

I charged towards the nearest one, cleaving it in two with Durandal.

"Mark has the right idea," Frederick said before running another Risen through with his lance. "We need to get to milord and milady!"

"Argh, this is... fine. I'll think about this later." Robin shot a blast of lightning at the remaining Risen and said, "Let's do this."

* * *

A/N: This chapter was brought to you by Styx Helix.

More time travel! Last one, I promise. This point on out will be a straightforward path up through Valm. Not too much action, and likely more dialogue/character interactions due to Mark's reluctance to mess too much with the timeline.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and leave a review on your way out if you feel like it.

Until the next!


	23. Timeline Zero - Unwelcome Changes

Timeline Zero - Unwelcome Changes

"Mark! Frederick!" Robin called out between blasting a Risen swordsman with lightning. "Chrom and Lissa should be to the west!"

I swung Durandal around, cleaving another of the walking dead corpses in half. Unfortunately, as soon as I had done that, three more emerged in the distance and were making their way towards us. "Your point is?"

Frederick ran yet another Risen through with his lance, then jumped on his horse and immediately riding west.

"Frederick's got the right idea!" Robin finished off the Risen he was fighting and then turned around and ran. "We need to regroup with Chrom and Lissa! Come on, let's go!"

I made a wide sweep with Durandal, clearing the immediate area of Risen, and then followed him.

...Of course, due to my heavy sword and lack of a horse, I quickly fell behind.

"Dammit, Robin! You're the tactician here! Account for my lack of move!"

I grit my teeth and cut down a Risen axeman that jumped out at me.

Robin glanced back and said, "Cover the rear! We'll grab Chrom and Lissa and be right back!"

I sighed and came to a sliding halt before turning around to face the growing crowd of Risen. "Looks like some things don't change."

This was similar to my last run. _Thankfully, this time I can do crowd control. _

One, two... a dozen Risen advanced towards me at a slow shuffle. Thankfully, we had taken care of the swordsmen in our retreat, and there weren't any ranged attackers in their midst.

"Weapon advantage and a wide reach. Alright, I got this."

I let out a breath and focused. Unlike the first time around, I couldn't be reckless with fighting since I had no way of healing myself.

Speaking of which... _Damn. Should have told Robin to toss me a vulnerary._

I didn't have much time to rue my hindsight as the first Risen attacked.

The undead axeman jumped at me and swung his axe in an overhead blow. An easy to read strike. Also, thankfully not too fast due to the whole rotting body and all.

"Hah!" I swung Durandal up and to the left, meeting the Risen's attack head on. Due to superior weapon quality, both the Risen and its weapon were cut in half.

And then three more leapt at me with varying attack angles.

"Tch, smart ones aren't you!"

Vertical, horizontal, diagonal. From my left, right, and straight in front. At the moment, I was flanked by the Risen, and I couldn't just retreat, since that would let more join up in the group.

I let out a long breath and held Durandal to my right side. _Wait for it._ I'd have only one shot to get this right before being mobbed by the remaining Risen.

_Wait for it..._

The three attacks were fast approaching.

_Now!_

I swung Durandal in a wide arc, using my momentum to add to its attack. As expected, each of the Risen were cut down.

Not as expected, I kept spinning. _Dammit! Of all the times physics has to kick in, it has to be now!_

With no way of stopping without leaving me vulnerable, I grit my teeth and moved with the sword, advancing into the crowd of Risen.

I felt a slight resistance on Durandal as I cut through the Risen, but thankfully its legendary steel was sturdy enough to cut through them like butter.

After a few revolutions, I managed to bring myself to a halt. Despite that, I didn't lower my guard at all, staring at my surroundings to make sure there weren't any incoming surprise attacks.

A feat more difficult than expected considering the world seemed to be spinning around me.

"Wow. That's impressive, for someone so skinny."

A voice drew my attention. It was feminine, but unfamiliar. Turning my attention towards it, as best as I could anyway with the world still spinning, I saw a woman in red armor atop a horse.

She leapt off it when she saw me looking at her and said, "That's a pretty hefty sword you're lugging around. Overcompensating for something there?"

"Haha. Very funny."

I shook my head, and my vision finally managed to fix itself, allowing me to see that the woman also had a mop of short red hair. That and she was holding a sword in her hand.

From the fading corpses behind her, it seemed that she was pretty skilled with it too.

The woman smiled and said, "The name's Sully, the strongest knight in the Shepherds. We could use someone like you, especially if you're as strong as you look."

"...Are you seriously standing there to have a casual conversation with me while the world's going to hell around us?"

Sully idly swung her sword behind her, cutting down a Risen axeman that had wanted to try a sneak attack. "Why? Got a problem with that?"

"No, just..." I shook my head. _I knew support conversations used to be in the midst of battle in the old games, but this..._

Before I could reply, a voice called out. Again, unfamiliar, though this one was masculine. "Hold, milady! Do not leave me behind!"

Hearing that voice, Sully's face dropped and she let out a sigh. "Dammit. Thought I'd gotten rid of that bastard."

A man emerged from the depths of the forest. He looked a bit worse for wear, a boot print clearly marked on his cheek. Despite that, his clothes were surprisingly unruffled... well, except for the usual ruffles that were a part of it.

"I, Virion, the archest of archers, am here to protect you and slay these foul beasts! To leave me behind so abruptly... do you not think that a bit harsh?"

"Harsh my arse!" Sully crossed her arms. "I never asked you to follow me anyhow!"

"Haha, playing hard to get I see. No manner. It's expected for such a magnificent flower to possess a few thorns."

I coughed. "Don't you think there are more important things to worry about? Like those ominous rotting warriors heading are way?"

Almost as if planned, a dozen Risen emerged from the depths of the forest, their red eyes creepily glowing in the dark night.

"Tch." Sully glanced at the approaching Risen and said, "...Think you can take them skinny guy?"

Virion puffed his chest. "Why, of course I can! Virion, the-"

Sully scowled. "Not you, Ruffles. I'm talking to the other guy."

Virion took a step back and placed a hand on his chest, as if shot through the heart. "R-Ruffles?"

I ignored the archer and said, "Probably. But I doubt that's the end of them." As I spoke, I could make out even more red dots in the distance.

Sully nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking the same. Looks like a tactical retreat's in order." She got on her horse.

I took a step back, preparing for my own retreat, and said, "Oh, right. Chrom and the others should be to the west."

Sully turned her horse around, preparing to do the same. "The captain's here too, huh? Not that surprised... hell of a time to decide to patrol though."

I laughed. "I'll say. Anyway, on three?"

"On three," Sully said.

Virion looked at me and Sully with a frown on his face. "While it is wonderful to see such camaraderie occurring before my eyes, do you not think that-"

"THREE!"

Hearing my shout, Sully grabbed Virion and tossed him on the back of her horse.

"My word, to-"

"Ah, stuff it Ruffles! Time to put your bow where your mouth is and shoot those damned corpses!"

Virion sighed and did as he was told, immediately shooting down the first wave of approaching Risen.

The two quickly outpaced me, being on horseback compared to my being on foot.

Still, I was already in full sprint when they started moving, so the distance wasn't too large at the moment. I'd learned my lesson from Robin though and made sure to dismiss Durandal before that and replacing it with a sword better suited to help me escape.

"Come, Balmung!"

The curved legendary sword appeared before me. Grabbing it out of the air, I felt my body instantly become lighter and my speed increase. _Not quite the plus five I was hoping for, but three is good enough._

With the added boost of speed, I quickly caught up to Sully and Virion.

The red knight raised an eyebrow. "Fancy magic you got there!"

"Talk less, run more! We need to meet up with the others if we want a chance of beating them!"

A volley of arrows flew out the moment I said that and shot down a dozen Risen that were chasing us.

Virion puffed his chest out and said, "Fear not! The archest of archers will easily-"

A voice, one that seemed to cut through everything else, sounded out and said, "DODGE LEFT!"

Not one to argue, and feeling my own instincts telling me to do the same, I did just that.

Sully followed shortly after I did.

Not a moment too soon, as a giant plume of lava erupted where we would have run through.

Sully glanced back at the lava briefly before looking around and saying, "The hell? Who's talking to me? And how'd you know that would be there?"

The voice quickly responded. "I'll explain later. Head north through the clearing and towards the fortress. That should put you out of the range of the monsters."

Sully scowled and said, "Hold on a minute, I'm not done talking to you!"

"I do believe our invisible friend is no longer listening, milady."

"Ah, shut it Ruffles!"

Virion sighed. "The trials one endures for love..."

"Anyway!" Sully turned towards me. "What do you think? Should we listen to that guy?"

"If he's who I think he is," I said, "then yes. We definitely should. And I don't think either of us has a better plan at the moment..."

"Tch. That voice better have a good explanation then."

That said, Sully spurred her horse into a faster pace.

Virion continued with his incredible sharpshooting, managing to strike direct hits even with Sully's rough riding.

I just kept running.

Before long, we emerged into a wide clearing... which was teaming with Risen.

"Dammit Robin, what part of being out of range do you not get?"

I sighed and held Balmung out in front of me, prepared to do some kiting... but the Risen didn't move.

"Huh!" Sully glanced at the strangely unaggressive Risen and said, "Looks like our invisible pal was right. Those monsters don't seem to want to fight us any time soon- Dammit Ruffles, what are you doing?!"

As soon as Sully said the Risen weren't planning to fight, Virion had gone and shot down a few in the distance.

"Why, the monsters are out of range, are they not?" Virion nocked another arrow in his bow. "I, in my most glorious planning and perception, do believe it means they won't come rushing at us even with my attacks."

With that said, he shot yet another Risen down.

"...Huh." I tilted my head slightly upon seeing the continued lack of zombie sprinting. "Looks like he's right."

Virion puffed his chest. "Please, do praise me more in front of the fair lady."

"Don't get so full of yourself, Virion," I said. "Those guys might not be chasing us, but there are still the ones behind us, you know."

A glance back revealed the countless red eyes slowly advancing.

"Why of course. But we will surely make short work of them when we regroup with Sully's 'Captain Chrom', will we not?"

I sighed. "Here's hoping."

We made it to the fortress without incident. Whatever miracle was keeping the Risen from noticing us didn't run out.

The fortress was a worn down stone building, seemingly abandoned for years. Ivy and other plants had already grown along its walls, mother nature reclaiming man's territory for her own now that they were gone.

The structure of the fortress was straightforward: four towers for archers, a central square plaza for... something, and- actually, just imagine the fortress icon from the game and expand it about... thirty times or so. That would be an accurate representation of the building.

Robin was waiting for us at the gate. His thunder tome, looking worse for wear, was clutched under his right arm. His sharp eyes flicked from left to right, as if seeing something only he could see.

When we arrived, however, his gaze shifted to us and his trademark smirk came on. "Mark. I see you've brought friends."

"Oh shut up you amnesiac tactician."

He laughed and waved for us to follow. "Chrom and Lissa are waiting inside. Frederick should be out taking care of the small fry up north and paving an escape route."

Before he could make it more than a few steps though, Sully called out. "Not wait a minute. You're the guy who was talking to us, right?"

Robin nodded. "That's right. And you'd be..." He tilted his head slightly, as if reading something. "Sully, right? And the guy behind you with the ruffled shirt is Virion."

The archest of archers let out a stricken gasp. "Once more with the ruffles! Why, I will have you know that this is a cravat! A cravat, understood? It is the pinnacle of fashion in the-"

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "In any case... what's the plan, Robin?"

Virion went off in a corner, grumbling to himself about uneducated commoners with no sense of fashion.

Obviously, I ignored it.

Robin shrugged. "It's pretty straight forward. Hole up in the fort here and wait for my signal. Frederick should be dealing with the rest of the ones that can attack at range, so we shouldn't be too overwhelmed. ...Unless you feel like fighting them by yourself?"

"...I'll pass on that."

Legendary weapons and combat experience or not, I was going to stay as far away from a zombie horde as possible.

"In that case, head on in and meet up with Chrom and Lissa," Robin said. "Ah, you as well Sully. Virion, you stay here with me and help me take care of any approaching monsters."

For a moment, it looked like the archer would protest, but he eventually let out a long sigh and said, "As you say."

Leaving the two at the gate, Sully and I headed deeper into the fortress to meet up with Chrom and Lissa.

As expected from the outside of the fortress, the inside of it was just as dilapidated. There were vines everywhere, along with tree roots ingrained into the stone walls. Thankfully, it looked like Robin had the foresight to light the torches along the way, so there wasn't any risk of tripping.

The sounds of footsteps and a horse's plodding trot echoed throughout the fortress for a while before Sully turned and said, "So your name's Mark, huh?"

"Hm? Oh, right. I didn't introduce myself yet. That's right, I'm called Mark."

Sully nodded. "So what brought you all the way out to southern Ylisse? There's not much to do around these parts."

"Eh, I have my reasons."

Chief among them were randomly waking up in the field there. Secondary would be that it provided the best opportunity to run across Chrom and the others and so join the Shepherds.

I didn't say that though, of course.

"Ha, playing up the mysterious guy role pretty well there."

"Well, what brings _you_ out here to southern Ylisse?"

Sully gave me a deadpan look. "I'm a knight and part of the Shepherds. We patrol Ylisse to keep the rabble out of the villages and kick the crap out of anybody who would think otherwise."

"...Right."

Well didn't I just seem stupid.

"Of course, today was something different. Ran into ruffles back there on my patrol and the guy wouldn't stop nagging me. Even promised to join the Shepherds. Heard that the Captain was heading back to Ylisstol after I passed through Southtown, so here I am."

Huh. I'd always wondered why Sully and Virion were randomly there in this chapter.

A voice called out from the darkness. "Mark? Is that you? And Sully?" A few moments later, the blue haired lord stepped out from around the corner. "I thought I heard familiar voices around here. Glad to see you two are safe. Looks like Robin managed to get through with his magic."

I frowned. "Magic?"

Chrom nodded. "Incredible, isn't it? I could hardly believe it myself, but it seems that Robin can see the entire battlefield in his mind and send out mental commands to all of his allies."

Huh. _This is how things went the first time around?_

Robin had the game mechanics grafted in his mind. I'd just thought he was being perceptive, but it looks like he wasn't. Though that made me wonder how things spiraled so out of control if he did, and why he wasn't able to use those powers in the last run-

_"Get ready everyone. They're going to break through the wall."_

I flinched at Robin's voice sounding out.

Then the wall right next to us broke down and a dozen Risen started crawling through it like something out of a zombie film.

I jumped back, instinctively raising Balmung up to parry a thrown hand axe. "Dammit Robin, give us an earlier warning next time!"

_"Well, try not standing so close to the wall next time. Oh, and duck."_

Yet _another_ hand axe cut through the air, almost decapitating me. ...Actually, scratch that. Apparently the Risen have magical returning hand axes.

Some time in between my dodging, Sully and Chrom had charged into the midst of the Risen and already started fighting.

I sighed and changed out my sword with Durandal.

...This was going to take a while.

* * *

A/N: Snarky Robin, Sully and Virion shenanigans, as well as a seemingly endless zombie hoard... which thankfully isn't that strong. Whoo!

Ran out of time in writing this chapter, so it's a bit short, but hopefully it's *somewhat* enjoyable.

Either way, thanks for reading, and leave a review on the way out if you want.

Until the next!


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